


Dream Team: Dreaming of Hearts

by heroes_with_stories, Writer_Sky



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), Mario & Luigi RPG (Video Games), Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Crossover, Darkness, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Keyblades (Kingdom Hearts), Kidnapping, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Little Brothers, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroes_with_stories/pseuds/heroes_with_stories, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Sky/pseuds/Writer_Sky
Summary: When darkness was sensed in an unfamiliar and strange world, Sora and Kairi jump in to explore the potential dangerous darkness that is occurring. They arrive in a world where they have met the brothers Mario and Luigi, and they go on a quest to beat the source of the darkness along with saving their friends.
Relationships: Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Mario/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter One

"So, Sora... why do you think Yen Sid is calling us?"

Sora and Kairi walked up the long flight of stairs that led to Master Yen Sid's room. He never really understood why the stairs were so long, but it was called the "Mysterious Tower", so Sora wasn't questioning. Especially when, this time, heartless wasn't going to attack them while they're fighting for survival and running up flights of stairs.

Sora shrugged. "No clue. I'm sure it's not a big deal, though."

Kairi looked at him, worried. "... Are you sure?" She questioned. "Every visit so far has us going on some dangerous adventure. What if it has something to do with the Organization, or... Xehanort?" Her voice on the name was a little bit shaky.

Sora remembered the fight between light and dark. It was like it had just happened yesterday, though he knows it's been a few months ago. It was a relief to see that everyone made it out alive and well. He's sure everyone else is doing alright... it's been a few months since he saw anyone else besides Riku. Ever since that war... Sora could tell that Kairi felt some discomfort. He was sure Kairi was also uncomfortable about the memory of being slashed in the back by Xehanort. That memory also, for sure, made Sora uncomfortable and a little sad.

Sora put a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing to be worried of, Kai. We'll be here to protect you... especially me!" He smiled, his thumb pointing at his face.

Sora could tell that Kairi didn't exactly feel reassured. But, she seemed to have relaxed a little. He knows that he and Kairi will be alright, but... one thing really got under his skin.

The thought of losing Kairi... again.

When Xehanort got Kairi and tried ending her life... Sora didn't know if he felt worse pain before. He truly thought he lost her forever. He thought that he failed to protect her.

But, now Kairi's safe and happy. She's here with Sora, and that's all that matters to him. And whatever new adventure Yen Sid sends the two off for, Sora will be right by her side no matter what.

Kairi smiled a little. "Thanks, Sora." She held onto the hand that was placed on her shoulder. She knows she can rely on Sora to keep her safe. He always has. And she will try her best to keep Sora safe.

The two walked up the stairs for what seemed like a few more minutes until they arrived at the doors that led to Yen Sid's room. Both the guardians nodded at each other and Sora pushed open the doors and walked in.

The room looked the same as usual. The bookshelf behind them looked practically untouched. The windows were shiny like no one laid a finger on it. Yen Sid looked no different. He sat in the same chair in the same position, his eyes being closed like he was thinking about something important.

"Master Yen Sid?" Kairi was the first to speak. At that, Yen Sid's eyes opened and they drifted off to face her.

"Sora, Kairi... it's good to see you're doing well." Yen Sid said in his same monotone voice. "Has your months of relaxation treated you well?"

"Oh, yeah, it has." Sora replied. "After all the fighting and the war... it's feels great having that feeling like nothing bad is happening." Sora put his hands behind his head and smiled. "We can finally kick our feet up and outlive our life."

Kairi nodded in agreement, though she cut right to the chase. "Master... what have you called us here, for?" She asked.

Yen Sid closed his eyes. "I know you two have only came back from a war... but as the darkness has been defeated and has come back to our control, I sense there is strong darkness in another world."

Sora cringed a little, hearing him make that speech. "There's more darkness in another world? But... how? I thought we have died down the darkness stuff..." Sora crosses his arms.

"Yes. We have settled down the darkness, but that doesn't mean that balance will forever be maintained. The guardians of light's job is to fight against the darkness if it gets too overpowering. Though we may have won against the darkness, darkness will forever exist, in the heart of people and worlds." Yen Sid explained.

Well, of course Sora knew that. He has been reminded a bunch of times. The thing that annoyed him was that at the moment a war is finally over... a world has to be in trouble.

"I understand, master," Kairi says. "But... why have you invited me? I know that I have strength within me, somewhere... but Riku has more experience with battle than me. What if I'm not ready to go off on a dangerous journey yet?"

Kairi has never been to another world before besides the Keyblade Graveyard and The World That Never Was. Sora had so much experience on traveling to other worlds and making new friends, but Kairi has barely ever left Destiny Islands. And honestly? She was a little nervous.

Sora looked down at her. "I know going off on a journey for the first time is hard... believe me, the first time we've left home, I was scared. I was completely new to all of this... and, honestly? I didn't know if I was strong enough to fight all of these heartless. But I can say that me, Donald, and Goofy have definitely grown stronger from all of the adventures we have gone on. I'm sure the same will happen to you, also." He held both of her hands, tightly.

It was all true. He only battled his other friends for fun, not for glory. Though, his adventure was hard at first, he has grown stronger, especially with friends by his side. Friends are his power, after all.

Kairi hesitated at first, but she smiled. She felt a little off about going on this new adventure, but she knows it has to be done. She doesn't want to be stuck on the islands, waiting for her best friends to come back. She didn't want to stand there and hope that they're both alive.

She was tired of waiting.

"Thank you, Sora." She said. She feels really bad about only giving Sora a "thank you" after everything he's done for her. She wants to pay him back somehow. But, that can be dealt with later.

Sora looked back at Yen Sid, still holding onto one of Kairi's hands. "Where are we heading?" He asked.

"It's best if you find out yourself." Yen Sid said. "This new world that you'll discover... it's something very different than the other worlds you have ventured off to. It may be very peculiar, but despite the strange creatures you will encounter, you have to focus on your main goal."

The pair nodded. "I'm sure they wont be THAT weird. I've probably encountered weirder people before." Sora said, Kairi giggling at his statement.

"Your Gummi Ship is waiting outside," Yen Sid continued.

"The Gummi Ship?" Sora questioned. "We haven't seen the ship when we arri-"

Suddenly, a giant ship appeared outside the window, interrupting Sora's comment. It looked like it was in good condition. Sora's eyes widened, excited. He was glad to see the Gummi Ship again. He was glad that this whole war was over, but he also kind of missed traveling around on the Gummi Ship with Donald and Goofy.

Donald and Goofy...

He wondered how and what they were doing. Ever since a few years ago, he's formed a close bond between the two of them. He really misses traveling to worlds with them. They always know how to brighten up the mood, stop Sora from doing something reckless, and make Sora feel safe. He missed battling heartless with them. He hoped that the two of them feel the same back to Sora. He hopes that Kairi feels the same feelings back for Sora during this adventure.

Kairi giggled once again at Sora's reaction. "Come on, silly. We should get going." Kairi says.

"Do be careful, you too." Yen Sid says. "The darkness feels powerful from that world. Watch over each other."

"Yes, master." Sora and Kairi bowed. Both walked out after Yen Sid nodded his head to dismiss them. When they were both gone, he muttered,

"May your heart be your guiding key."

☆

"Sora... do you even know how to drive the Gummi Ship?" Kairi asked.

Sora looked at her once he climbed aboard. "I've done it a million times! Who do you think was driving it?"

"Well, I thought Donald or Goofy was... they seem more responsible to." Kairi smiled as she held a giggle in.

Sora rolled his eyes, though he did let out laugh. Sora didn't want to admit it to her... but Donald and Goofy are more experienced in driving the Gummi Ship than Sora. They're probably better at it than him, too. "You don't have to be scared, Kai. I've driven it for years." He patted the ship.

"So... are you ready?" He asked, taking his hand and pulling it out for Kairi.

Kairi silently took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready when you are, lazy bum." She said as she held his hand. Sora pulled her up onto the ship before getting ready to take off.

╌────═❁═────╌

"Princess... I'm not trying to turn back now, but are you sure that this will be okay?"

"There's no need to fret, Toadsworth. This will be a simple vacation."

A large, yellow blimp appeared in front of the group as Princess Peach said that. Peach wasn't entirely sure if what she said was entirely true. The past few times they've been out of the kingdom, trouble has remained to follow them. But, she does have a little hope inside of her. She has hope that things will be different and she can finally visit a kingdom where she doesn't have to worry about being kidnapped or anything that will ruin the trip.

The yellow blimp floated across of them, letting out a bridge that leads in front of the castle windows. Peach walked on, followed by a few Toads. Toadsworth hesitated, but she rushed behind the Toads, trying to get to the princess.

A peculiar-looking dog was also on the balloon. It seemed to be waiting for them. Peach was a little surprised over the dog, but then smiled as she went to sit down. She's sure the dog means no harm... right? It was just staring at the castle, waiting for everyone to get on.

"Let's see... one, two, three, four, five... wait, aren't we missing someone?" Peach asked.

The group looked around, then Toadsworth's eyes widened. "Oh, for Grambi's sake, the Mario brothers!" Toadsworth looked behind them, seeing the bridge close up and go back into the blimp.

"Wait up, Mario!" A voice was heard in the castle.

A figure was shown darting and leaping out of the castle windows. A famous hero in red fixed his cap before his eyes widened, looking behind him.

A slightly taller figure also leaped through the window, but didn't manage to land on his feet this time. Instead, his body was dangling over the edge of the blimp, the bridge closed back into the blimp.

"Luigi!" Mario kneeled down and grunted, pulling his brother up into the blimp. "Don't worry, I gotcha."

After Mario has managed to pull his brother up and get him on his feet, Luigi put his hands on his knees and let in a few deep breaths.

"Thanks, bro." Luigi said. Mario put a hand on his back and smiled at him.

"Master Mario! Master Luigi! You outta be careful next time. Luigi could've fallen to his doom!" Toadsworth exclaimed, sitting down next to the princess, who was giggling over Toadsworth sudden, angry remark.

"Sorry, sir." Mario lightly elbowed Luigi, silently telling him that it was a little bit of Luigi's fault. Luigi slightly rolled his eyes as he elbowed his brother back, a little more roughly.

"S-Sorry, sir." Luigi said, standing back up correctly and putting his hands behind his back.

"It's great to see that you're here, brothers." Peach smiled. "I'm glad that you've accepted our invitation to come with us."

Mario blushed a little, scratching the back of his neck. "It's really no problem, princess." He said. "Anything for you."

Peach also blushed a little. Luigi went over to sit down as Mario followed him. When they both sat, Luigi smirked and elbowed Mario again. Mario glared at him and gently slapped him on his arm, his face only getting more red.

☆

Everyone on the blimp seemed pretty content. The dog continued to stare out at the world below them. Peach and Toadsworth were talking, the Toads were doing their own thing, and Mario and Luigi were admiring the view below them... well, at least Mario was. Luigi was feeling a little sick looking down.

"Pi'ilo Island... hrm... can't say I've ever heard of it..." Toadsworth thought out loud. "Princess!" He then suddenly exclaimed. "I feel rather uneasy about this trip! We still have time, let's return home!" He said, his expression seeming to show his fear.

"BROOF!" The dog exclaimed. It didn't seem to want to return them home. Was their presence required?

At the dog's sudden reaction, Toadsworth yelped as he ran away from the dog. Was Toadsworth really that worried about this trip, Peach thought. She didn't think there was anything to worry about.

The dog turned around, revealing the "X" on his back. A few seconds later, a screen appeared, surprising everyone on the blimp. What was on the screen was this sheep-looking man. He seemed to be very tired, and everyone wondered why.

The princess and the brothers got closer to the screen. "Ah! Who's this?" She questioned, tilting her head. She was very curious over who this man was and what he wants to talk to everyone about.

The man spoke right away. "Mm-yes, hello. Nice meeting you. I am the proprietor of Pi'ilo Island! I am Dr. Snoozemore anzzz..." The man drifted off during his sentence, his eyes closing and appearing to have fallen asleep.

"Huh?" Mario retorted, question.

"Is he... asleep?" Toadsworth questioned.

Dr. Snoozemore's eyes popped right back open. "Oops!" He exclaimed. "Please excuse me... as you may have guessed, I am researching the science of sleep. Mm, yes, and on Pi'ilo Island... there's a special power that makes you sleep soundzzzz..." he drifted off once more.

Toadsworth scoffed. "A special sleep power?! What poppycock! Scoundrel! Wake up and explain yourself!" He exclaimed.

"Mm-heh heh..." he quietly spoke. "This is no time for lecture. Now, I ask you all to relax... be at ease until you reach the island, and enjoy your trip... mm, heh... yes, relax with the dog... your fellow passengers... and that OTHER passenger... he is VERY interesting... mm-heh..." his voice became more sleepy as he spoke. Mario didn't think he knew what he was exactly talking about.

The man has fallen asleep again, the screen finally closing and the dog turned around.

"That was... new." Peach commented. "Well, everyone, I'm sure-"

Just then, a strange, purple object has fallen onto the blimp. Everyone quickly backed away, trying not to be hit by the object that landed in front of everyone. Everyone got a chance to examine it. It looked like a pillow, though it had evil-looking eyes and it was about the same size as Mario's entire body.

"Where has this come from?" Luigi questioned. Mario shrugged, not really knowing an answer to that.

"What's THAT?" Toadsworth also commented.

Right after he said that, purple smoke started gushing out of the purple object, filling throughout the whole ship. It may it hard to breathe for a moment. When the smoke died down, a clawed-hand appeared, trying to attack the Toads and Mario. The Toads managed to dodge while screaming in fear. Mario managed to move to the side a little.

"What IS this thing?" Mario yelled. Another hand appeared, Peach and Toadsworth quickly managing to move out of the way. Luigi jumped back, though he almost fell off the blimp as he was gripping onto one of the bars.

"No!" Peach exclaimed, worried. This vacation started off to be a complete nightmare. What's gonna happen? She was very worried for everyone on the ship.

"Luigi!" Mario exclaimed, attempting to go after his brother. But, suddenly, eyes grew onto the smoke, the same eyes that was shown on the pillow. Eventually, more smoke appeared, this time revealing a large, skinny creature with a cape and an evil expression. Spikes were shown on the back of the cape, making the top part of his body more terrifying.

'What is this guy?' Mario wondered, then shook his head. That didn't matter right now - he needs to get rid of this guy before he hurts anyone.

Mario got into a fighting stance and was also the first person to attack. He jumped onto the creature's head, jumping and landing three times before he landed perfectly on his feet. Mario fixed his cap into a comfortable position.

The creature did seem like he was in pain, though his body suddenly turned into multiple different bats, who seem to be making an attempt to attack him. Though, Mario easily jumped out of the way, managing to land on some of their heads.

The remaining bats formed back into its original form. Mario did the same move he did last time - he jumped on his head a few times. This time, the creature did not seem to attack again. The creature looked defeated.

Though, what the creature did next was unexpected. He floated up to the top of the blimp and exploded.

"Oh, no!" Mario exclaimed while Peach yelled, "No!"

The blimp started to break down, falling from the sky. The passengers on the blimp all screamed as they no longer were touching the blimp's floor - they were just falling mid-air.

The dog did not seem amused. Instead, it turned around to show everyone Dr. Snoozemore. Happily, he said, 

"Next stop, Pi'ilo Island!"

☆

"AHH!" Luigi screamed as he started running around, panicking. He managed to trip over the side of the ship as he face planted on the ground.

Mario and Peach quickly turned over to see what happened. Mario was surprised for a moment. He rushed over to his fallen brother.

"Luigi, are you alright?" He asked, shaking him. Despire him twitching, he didn't make a response.

Three Toads also rushed over, surrounding his body. "Luigi! Were you dreaming again?" One of them asked.

"Sounded like an epic nightmare..." another one mumbled. "YO! We arrived at Pi'ilo Island. Luigi! Dude! WAKE UP!' He yelled.

No response.

Toadsworth turned away from the situation and looked behind him. "Mm, yes! Here at last! What shall we do first?" He asked the group, though specifically to Princess Peach.

Before anyone could respond, a group of block-shapped people came over and faced the group. The female one said, "Welcome to... Pi'ilo Island!"

Some members of Peach's group stepped forwards to see what was happening. Mario moved away from Luigi and walked torwards the group.

"We've been waiting for you to arrive!" The girl spoke again. She had an odd shape - her face was a half-circle and the rest of her body was a small block and legs and arms. The rest behind her looked the same, except their faces were squares and they didn't have hair.

"Allow us to show you around! Let us head to Pi'illo Castle!" She exclaimed. The group started torwards the castle until Toadsworth spoke up.

"Wait a moment!" He interrupted as the group turned around to face him. "I understand the proprietor is one Dr. Snoozemore, correct?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Humph! Yes, well, Princess Peach traveled far for this visit... and I must say, I find it a touch rude that he's not present to greet us."

Peach frowned and faced Toadsworth. "Please, Toadsworth, it's no matter..." she said, carefully.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me!" The girl spoke again. "I should've mentioned. Regrettably, Dr. Snoozemore is away on a business arrand. He's traveling far and wide to spread the word of our island. You know, to boost tourism!" She stepped forward. "As such, he asked that I mention it will be a short while before he can greet you in person."

"Oh..." Peach muttered.

A thought went through Mario's head. If Dr. Snoozemore is away on a business trip, then where was he when he was introducing himself back on the blimp? Was it a recording?

The girl took a few steps. "I'll meet you just down the road!" She said, excited. She turned around and left, along with the other people that came along with her.

Peach smiled. "Oh, how very exciting! Let's go, everyone!" She announced. Mario nodded as everyone else left, though Mario stayed behind for a moment.

He looked behind him to see how Luigi was doing. The other three Toads were trying to wake him up, though he was still twitching, uncontrollably. Mario was a little worried. He knows that it was just a little crash, but Mario didn't like seeing his friends and brother just laying on the ground, unconscious.

The three Toads turned around and looked at Mario. "Dude is OUT! Don't worry though, we'll get him up eventually."

"Apparently, Luigi really likes sleeping. Like, a LOT." Another one said, exaggerating the "lot".

"Phew! Waking up Luigi is real tiring work." The third one said.

You go on ahead with the gang!" The first one said. Mario nodded, looking down at Luigi once more before running to catch up with the crowd.

╌────═❁═────╌

"How far is this world, exactly?" Kairi asked.

"I'm sure it isn't too long. I assume it's that world, right there." Sora pointed.

There was a big, ancient-looking castle that stood out from that world. It looked bright, colorful, and happy. It was almost hard to believe that this world is filled with darkness. It's one of the most happiest worlds he's ever seen. Though, he knows that he shouldn't just go ahead and make assumptions right away.

"I guess so... let's go and investigate." Kairi says, her body becoming more tense. She was scared and excited at the same time. She really didn't know what to expect. Will her inner strength really be shown in this world?

Sora noticed Kairi's sudden body change. He wants to ask her what's wrong... but maybe she was just excited and scared. That's exactly how Sora felt when he went on his first journey.

Sora moved the Gummi Ship into the world, wanting to see what the darkness is all about.

☆

After a few minutes, the pair arrived at the island. Everything seemed normal, though these people looked very... weird. Things just got weirder when they both saw the only human around the area laying unconscious with these three weird-looking things trying to wake him up.

"This world is... I can't even explain it." Kairi said.

"Neither can I." Sora continued looking around. Everyone seemed happy, and that was good to see. Everything seemed normal, though it was still worth further into the island, though.

Kairi put a hand on her heart, her eyes closing. Sora looked over at her, his head tilting. "Kai? Is everything okay?"

"Yes." Kairi replied. "Everything appears to be alright, but if Yen Sid says that darkness is here, then I believe him. Though... I do sense strong light here." Kairi says.

"Light?" Sora repeated. "Do you think its...?"

Kairi shrugged. "We're just going to have to find out. Though, is it safe for that light to be here around this darkness?"

Sora shook his head. "If that light is here, then the darkness might try to destroy that light. If that light is left unprotected by someone... then that light might fade away. We obviously cant let that happen!" Sora said, determined. "Let's go explore a bit, see if we can find any clues."

Kairi nodded, though she did feel a bit worried. She knows Sora will be alright here, he's not a princess of heart like Kairi is... but is Kairi's light safe here? Will the darkness try to come and take away her light?

She wont let that happen. She knows that Sora wont let that happen.

Kairi looked around. Everyone looked to happy. The town looked exciting and wonderful... she wondered what exactly this place is.

Suddenly, somewhere further into town, cheering and applauding was heard. Sora wondered what exactly they were cheering for, so he grabbed Kairi's hand and made his way torwards that direction.

╌────═❁═────╌

This was very... unexpected.

Mario still hasn't caught up with the rest of the gang, but what really shocked Mario was that there was a pathway made by people who were cheering for him.

Mario felt a little overwhelmed by it. He's fine with people cheering for him, but it always made him a little embarrassed with all of that attention onto him. So, he kept his eyes down and he proceeded to catch up to the rest of the gang.

Eventually, he saw them. He ran up to them and was about to speak until a voice interrupted him and caught his attention.

╌────═❁═────╌

Sora and Kairi held hands as they squeezed their way through the crowd that was cheering for this guy in red... he was dressed in the same outfit as the other guy who was laying on the ground when they walked in, except that his outfit was red instead of green and his hat had a "M" instead of an "L".

He seemed like he was a little overwhelmed by the crowd cheering for him, and Sora cant really blame him. He's sure that he would be a little overwhelmed by a bunch of people clapping for him.

Sora and Kairi eventually arrived in this area... one side of the area had a green checkbox. As for the other side, it had a red checkbox. Sora and Kairi were confused. They tried to go past that area, but the exit was blocked by other people. Sora shrugged and looked at Kairi, though Kairi only smiled as she motioned torwards the middle of the room, where the guy in red, a girl in pink, and more of those weird-looking creatures were standing at.

A voice was heard from one side of the area, which made Sora yelp a little in surprise. 

"PEOPLES!" Sora, Kairi, and everyone else looked up and they saw a person, who was this big, cubic shape like some of the other residents, was standing above the two green and red panels. He looks like he's in charge of the event.

"YOU WISH TO SEE ZEE PILLO CASTLE, HONH?" He spoke in a French accent. His tone also seemed to be very enthusiastic. Everyone cheered with excitement.

"YOU DESIRE...ZEE COINS?" Everyone cheered for that part. Coins? Did that mean munny? Sora and Kairi realized that their money was different from the one in this world. However, they still wanted to see how this went. Still standing by the sidelines, they listened more.

"YOU FEEL...ZEE PASSIONS?" Everyone cheered once again, except when someone said, "Just get on with it!" impatiently.

"Zen off we go! Zee 612th...Pillo Island Welcome Quiz!" He jumped off as he landed in front of the Princess and the others beside her. "Allez! Let us not delay, Honh? Zis is Pillo Island's Welcome Quiz!" As he was explaining the rules of the game, KairI took a small look around.

"It's so weird." She said. "Their aren't exactly a lot of people like us, a lot of humans."

"You'll get used to it." Sora gave her a small smile. "I've seen weirder." Kairi giggled at that reaction. She knows he's not wrong. She believes it. However, her attention went onto the Princess who was listening carefully to what the guide was saying.

She seemed so innocent, so gentle...so full of Light. Her eyes widened by this realization and Sora noticed.

"Kairi? Everything okay?" He asked her. She looked at Sora before looked back at the Princess.

"That girl…" She said as Sora looked her direction. "I can sense light from her...a strong light." Sora looked where Kairi was looking.

"Do you think she's the light the darkness are after?" He asked.

"It must be." She answered. "But I'm not sensing any darkness around here...for now at least."

"Well, that's good." Sora said with small relief. "Maybe when the game's over we can try to take a look around, see what else we can find, and maybe find that darkness while we're at it."

"Since when did you think before you act?" Kairi smirked at him as Sora let out a small "Hey!" in protest. "But with all seriousness, you do have a point. Maybe we can introduce ourselves to the Princess too."

"Yeah." Sora nodded his head in agreement. As soon as the quiz was over the two front gates slid down, creating an opening.

"We meet again at zee Pi'llo Castle. Oui!" The guide announced. "Au revoir, peoples!" He went on ahead as two of his comrades followed behind.

"Yes, we should hasten to Pi'llo Castle as well." She said. She and the rest of the Toads walked towards the entrance. However, Sora and Kairi noticed the man in red stayed behind for a moment. He look toward where he came in from the crowd, before he slightly bowed his head down and followed the others. The two looked at each other.

"That guy…do you think he's okay?" Sora asked. "He looked worried about something."

"I'm not sure." Kairi said. "Maybe it was about that man in green we saw when we arrived. Now that I think about it, they do look a little similar."

"Yeah." Sora nodded his head in agreement. "Maybe they're related. But for now, let's keep moving." Sora and Kairi both walked towards the entrance.

╌────═❁═────╌

Minutes of walking, and admiring the bright colors in the area, they suddenly heard fear.

"Princess! We must flee!" Sora and Kairi both jogged down the path, and their eyes widened seeing the man in red fight these two, small enemies as the guide was surrounded in a dark aura...with his head upside down? It looked like it, but Kairi couldn't sense any of that darkness from him. Sora took out his keyblade, but Kairi held his hand.

"Wait." She said as she dragged him by the wall. "I think that man in red can handle it."

"But what about-?" Kairi shook her head at him.

"It does look like it, but I'm not sensing any darkness from the guide." She said. "We should wait it out, and see what will happen next."

"…Okay." As Sora put his keyblade away, they both stayed out by the sidelines until the fighting was over. Sora was observing the man in red's moves, and he saw he was quite strong. It didn't look like the enemies were doing so much, but the man in red was fighting using hand-to-hand. Both of the fights didn't last long at all. In fact, they ended real quick with the man in red victorious.

"Well, zat is zat…" The flipped his head until it was back to how it was before. The bushy mustache on the bottom and the thin eyebrows on top. The man in red looked a little perplexed, but at the same time a little relieved.

"Zere were mistakes here and zere…but zis was quite the spectacle, non?" The gate where Sora and Kairi were dropped down. The rest of the others walked over to where the man in red was.

"This...was an act?" Toadsworth asked.

"But of course!" The guide answered enthusiastically. "Zis was but one of many events prepared for vous! You felt zee passions, non? Monster supper, indeed!"

"I'll admit, it felt kinda good fighting again." Mario said, stretching his arms.

"Oh, I'm so relieved!" Peach said, putting her hands on her chest. "My heart almost stopped!"

"Honh, oui, that is satisfactory!" Sora and Kairi both nodded their heads to each other, got out from their spot, and walked towards the company. The guide was the first to notice their presence.

"Honh, I zee we have more to join us!" Everyone looked at the duo a little surprised. "Are you here to zee Pi'llo Castle as well?"

"Uh, yeah." Sora and Kairi both didn't know what to expect, but they were ready for any kinds of questions that needed to be answered. The Princess took a step forward towards them.

"I think I saw you two at the welcome quiz." She said. "I don't think I have seen you around the Mushroom Kingdom before."

"That's because we're from another kingdom." Sora said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's...not exactly popular. It's more like an island than a kingdom." The two were trying to do their best to keep the World Order.

"Oh! I see." The Princess understood. "Did you witness this event here as well?"

"We did." Kairi said. "But we didn't want to interfere in case it was part of the event. Thank goodness we were right."

"Of course, apologies for zat." The guide said. "But I am impressed that it was able to do good, honh!"

"It really was convincing." Sora said. "Anyway, who are you?"

"Oh! Where are my manners?" The Princess spoke. "My name is Princess Peach. I'm the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom far from here."

"It's nice to meet you, Your Highness." Kairi did a small bow.

"Please, you don't need to be so formal." She said. "Anyhow, this is my steward, Toadsworth."

"Pleasure to meet you." He said. The man in red also stood by Peach.

"And this is the hero, and protector of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario." She said.

"Hey there." He shook hands with both Sora and Kairi.

"And of course, I am zee guide of zee tour! Broque Monsieur." He introduced himself as well.

"Nice to meet you all!" Sora smiled. "I'm Sora. And this is Kairi. We wanted to take a trip here when we heard of it." Although that was a small lie for one part, another part of him did want to explore more of the place. It was really colorful.

"Well, Sora and Kairi. Do you want to join us for the rest of the tour? The more the merrier." Peach offered.

"Are you sure, Princess?" Toadsworth asked skeptically. "How do you know we can trust them?"

"Hey! They don't look like a threat, Toadsworth." Mario said, standing in front of him. "Besides, this is just a vacation. What's the worse that could happen?"

"..." Sora and Kairi both looked at each other. They could feel a sense of irony in that sentence. They still know that darkness is here. Toadsworth thinking for a moment, he let out a sigh.

"Perhaps you may be right, Master Mario." He said. "And if you and the Princess can trust these strangers, then so will I."

"Thank you." Kairi gave them a small smile. She mostly was grateful for Mario to stand up for them. He really reminded him of Sora a little.

"Alright! Now zat we are acquainted with each other, let us continue the tour!" Broque said, turning around. "Pi'llo Castle just lies before us! We are un moment away. Come!" Broque walked on ahead.

"Ahh, looks like we shall reach proper lodging at last." Toadsworth said. Peach turned to Mario.

"Mario, thank you for seeing us here safely." She said.

"No problem." Mario tipped the front of his cap now as a sign saying "You're welcome".

"Although, now that I think of it, what happened to Luigi?" She wondered. Everyone except for Sora and Kairi looked around.

"Quite right! We haven't seen him since arriving at the blimport…" Toadsworth said. "Might he still be dozing?"

"Luigi?" Sora repeated as he crossed his arms. "By any chance...is he a tall guy that was wearing a green shirt and blue overalls?"

"That's him!" Mario said. "He's my little brother. But when we got here he just...got scared and passed out again. I think he had a nightmare 'cause he was sleeping throughout the rest of the trip. You saw him?

"Yeah. When we first arrived here." Kairi answered. "I think he just needs more time to wake up. That is what happens when you sleep after all."

"You're probably right." Mario said, crossing his arms. "Still...I'm starting to wonder what exactly he dreamed about that scared him that much…"

"Mr.MARIOOO!"

"Everyone looked up and they saw another Toads run up him, catching his breath.

"What is it?" Mario asked.

"I'm here with a Luigi report...he's still totally conked. We've got top Toads on waking-up duty." He said. Sora could see the disappointment and worry on Mario's face as soon as the Toad said that.

"We'll get him up eventually, though. You guys go ahead." The Toad began to run back as Mario bowed his head down a little. Peach saw this, and she put her hand on his back for comfort.

"He'll be okay, Mario. He's strong." She said. "He'll come around."

"...Yeah. Thanks Peach." He said. Sora and Kairi both frowned in sympathy for this. Mario cares a lot about his little brother...almost like how Sora cares about his best friend, Riku. Peach smiled before she faced the path.

"All right, everyone! Let's keep going!" She announced as she, and everyone else began to walk down the path towards the castle.

╌────═❁═────╌

As they walked down the path, more people began to cheer for the Princess, but most of them were cheering for Mario. Kairi was with Peach, talking to her as Sora was beside Mario. Sora could see the nervousness on his face, as he kept his gaze on the ground. Sora tried to help him out by talking to him.

"Are you used to this kind of attention?" He asked him as Mario looked up at him.

"N-Not really…" He said a little nervously. "I didn't expect to get this much attention so quick. I didn't even think I was gonna get it."

"Well, at least people know who you are and know they can trust you."

"Yeah…" Mario tried to calm himself down. He was mostly curious about where Sora and Kairi came from. "So, about your kingdom...what's it like?"

"Oh! Umm…" Sora didn't know exactly what to say. He didn't want to give away that their are more worlds, but he guessed maybe some small details couldn't hurt.

"It's not really big, and there isn't that much people." He said, thinking his words carefully. "Me and Kairi both come from there, and another friend of ours does too. It's...a little washed out. As I said before, an island."

"Really? That sounds interesting." Mario said. "Luigi and I travel a lot, but I don't think we've been there before. What's it called?"

This part stumped him. Sora really hoped Mario wouldn't ask that. He had to keep the World Order, yet he didn't want Mario to be suspicious of him. But before he could answer that, they both saw everyone gasp and look up in awe. The two of them looked up and their eyes widened at what was in front of them.

Pi'llo Castle.

It looked very ancient. It did look old, but it was also in sturdy condition. Broque stood in front of the entrance.

"Welcome! Oui, welcome!" He said as everyone stood in front of him. "Welcome to Pi'llo Castle! Are we enjoying zee good times so far? Oui. Your faces tell me zis is true!"

"Well, it certainly was exciting…" Peach said. Broque jumped for joy...literally.

"Ohh! Sweet Princess! Zese words give me joy!" He smiled. He raised his hands in the air. "Zee heart, it soars! Zee dreams, zey are true! And now, let us enter zee castle, s'il vous plait! We go!

No one exactly knew what those other three words meant, but either way they were walking right into the castle until…

MARIO! GUYS!"

Everyone turned around and Mario smiled as he looked relieved. Luigi was running towards him, until he tripped and fell.

"Hey little bro!" Luigi jumped onto his feet and he looked at Mario. They both smiled for a moment before Toadsworth yelled.

"Master Luigi! You are LATE!" His face was red in anger for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry!" Luigi quickly apologized. "I-I don't know what just happened! I just...I didn't-"

"Oh, don't mind him, Luigi." Peach said, trying to calm him down. "I'm glad you made it on time! We were worried you'd never show.

Sorry about that." He finally took notice of Sora and Kairi as he looked confused. "Who are they?"

"This is Sora and Kairi." Mario introduced them. "They wanted to join us for the rest of tour."

"Oh! Okay. Nice to meet you then!" He also shook hands with them. Kairi was right. The two brothers really did look similar. They had the same eye color and nose. The only difference was their mustaches and Luigi was slightly more thin and taller than Mario.

"It's nice to meet you too, Luigi." Sora said. "Mario told us what happened to you. It's good to see you're okay."

"Yeah…" He laughed nervously. "But at least it's water under the bridge now. I'm just glad I didn't miss this part."

"Oh! Oui!" Broque walked over to him. "Monsieur, he enjoyed zee same quiz on his way here. Zat is right, oui, monsieur?"

"Yeah. It was a little easy, but I still had fun with it." He said.

"Zat is good!" He said. "Now zen, zee time for games have come to an end. To zee castle!" Everyone began to walk inside, not before Sora and Kairi nodded their heads to each other, getting ready to keep their guard up in case anything were to happen. They stepped inside the Castle.

There was no turning back now.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sora and Kairi has teamed up with Mario and Luigi to explore Pi'illo Island a little more, something mildly unexpected happens to Kairi and Peach, which sends Sora, Mario, and Luigi off to investigate.

As the group of tourists entered the castle, they examined the new scenery of what was inside the castle. There was a pink carpet that led to the other side of the room, and the area was bustling with toads, yoshis, and beanish folks. There were stands with workers behind the counters and they all have seemed to all sell something different. Though, what mainly caught the group’s attention was a small, yellow ball with a star floating above their head. They wore brown shoes also, similar to Mario and Luigi’s.

They seemed to have been looking around in curiosity and excitement, a big smile shown on their face. “Hmmm… So much to see… I don’t know where to start!”

”Oh! Look! It’s Starlow!” Princess Peach exclaimed with enthusiasm as they continued walking further into the castle. Sora and Kairi looked at her with slight confusion.

”You know this person?” Sora questioned. Before they could give a reply, the yellow folk, Starlow, turned and looked at the large group that had entered.

”Princess Peach! Toadsworth!” Starlow exclaimed, looking towards the two’s direction. She didn’t appear to notice the other’s yet.

”You were invited to the castle as well?” Peach asked, sweetly. Starlow gave her a small nod and spoke again.

”That’s right. I came all the way here to represent the Star Sprites.” She responded. She gave them a small jump and twirl before shouting, “HELLO YELLO!”

”Sora… have you heard of Star Sprites before?” Kairi whispered over to Sora, though he gently shook his head.

”Nope. Never heard of them,” he responded in another whisper. “But they don’t seem too bad..? This- um, what was her name again?- Starlow, seems like a nice person.”

When he said that, Kairi nodded in agreement. “Yes… hopefully you’re right.” Both of them turned their heads back to hear the conversation take place.

Toadsworth gave a small chuckle before speaking also. “Hoho! Hello yello, indeed! You seem peppy as ever!” He commented. He didn’t seem as upset as he was before, anymore.

Sora and Kairi gave a small and quick laugh at Toadsworth’s last comment, and Starlow turned to face the rest of the group. “Huh?” She looked at Mario first, examining him. “Mario! It’s been so long! I haven’t seen you since our last adventure!”

Mario gave her a small nod and a gentle smile. “Hey there, Starlow.” He greeted.

”I imagine Princess Peach is relieved so have you around.”

”Oh, I sure am!” Peach commented, which made Mario’s face turn a little red.

Luigi let out a small cough, and Starlow turned to him. “Oh…” She mumbled a little. She didn’t sound as excited to see him as Mario, which made Sora and Kairi a little confused. “Hey, Luigi. Haven’t seen you in a while, either! Of course, I’m sure it’s a relief to have you around, too…” She spoke.. She noticed something a little off, but she noticed something was a little off about him.

”I mean, I WOULD say that, but seriously…” She floated around him for a few seconds before coming back to face his direction. Luigi seemed a little confused, also.

”Um… is something wrong, Starlow..?” He asked, softly.

”Just… LOOK at you!” Starlow’s comment made Mario’s expression a little indignant. “You look totally ragged! Did you get mugged or something?” She asked. “And you JUST got here! How are you so run down already?”

At that final statement, Luigi looked down and examined himself for a second. “Oh… I guess I do look a little beaten…”

”Well, a little after we arrived, Luigi… seemed to have an incident.” Mario spoke. He still seemed annoyed by Starow’s comments. They sounded more like insults than anything…

Before any more statements or questions were said, Broque Monsieur walked in front of the large gang, and the attention rose towards him. “Now zen, peoples! I must say again… Welcome to zee Pi’illo Island!” He exclaimed.

He walked toward the left of the group. “Zis castle, Pi’illo Castle… You must walk around it.” He stated. He faced towards the center. “Oui, you must touch many things… You must banter with zee staff.” He walked back to the center. “And you must sightsee! Oui! Sightsee zis castle like crazy! Zee tidbits of information about zee island with sprinkle down… Oui, and zey will guide you how best to enjoy zis paradise.” He perked up a little.

”Once you have sampled zee sightseeing, return to me, s’il vours plait. Now allez!” Broque turned away from everyone and left the group, making his way towards the end of the area.

Peach turned and faced the rest of the group. “Lovely!” She exclaimed with a sweet smile. “Let’s tour the castle, then.” She spoke, and she, Toadwsworth, and the other toads separated.

”Jeez…” Sora mumbled, leaning towards Kairi a little so he wouldn’t be heard. “I will never understand anything that guy is saying…” With that small statement, Kairi let out a small giggle.

Starlow turned around and faced the two, confused. “Huh? Are these other tour members?” She asked, confusion shown in her voice. Mario blinked for a second before realizing who she was talking about.

”Oh, yeah. Starlow...” He spoke, facing towards the two. “This is Sora and Kairi. We invited them to tour with us for a little bit.” He explained to her. Starlow gave a small look of suspicion.

”Oh, really?” She asked, softly. “And were you two invited here, also?”

Both of the keyblade wielders nodded, quickly. “Yep!” Sora exclaimed. “We, um… we got an invitation, also. We’re just here to explore, just like the rest of us.”

”Yes. And, this place looks lovely and so exciting so far.” Kairi continued. “I wouldn’t want to miss out on this…” She looked around again, gently smiling.

Mario and Luigi gave slight nods. To be quite honest, Mario didn’t fully trust Sora and Kairi yet, either. They just got here, and the only thing they know about them are their names. They haven’t properly told where they were from, either… Mario couldn’t help but feel at least a little suspicious still. And people have most certainly betrayed and lied to him in the past, as heartbreaking as it is...

Though, maybe they’re alright. They look like normal travelers. Both of them are pretty kind and they didn’t give the others much of a reason to not trust them. Also, they look pretty young. They don’t look like they could do much.

He’ll have to keep his eyes on them. For now, that is.

”A-Alright. If you say so.” Starlow spoke. “Well, as you heard from earlier, my name is Starlow! I’m the helper and guide for Mario and Luigi for when they go on their adventures.”

”Adventures..?” Kairi restated in a questionable tone. “If I may ask, what kind of adventures do you go on?”

”Oh, we go on a lot…” Luigi responded. “They’re honestly really fun sometimes, but they can also be… pretty scary.” He sounded a little uneasy when he said the last part. “One time we traveled back in time to see our baby selves! They were really cute, but we also had to watch over them.”

” And another adventure where we went inside someone’s stomach! That someone’s stomach was named Bowser. Have you guys heard of him?” Sora and Kairi shook their heads, though they seemed pretty shocked by their statements so far.

”Oh, and the other adventure where we visited the Beanbean Kingdom?” Mario looked over at Luigi.

”And the other where-”

”Okay, okay, okay…” Starlow stopped them before they couldn’t be. “Well… the point is, they’re pretty well-known heroes. And we’ll always be a team!” She exclaimed.

”Wow, that sounds… really eventful.” Kairi commented. “I honestly haven’t traveled too much away from our home.” She laughed a little nervously. “So when we got the invitation here, I thought it would be a good excuse to finally travel somewhere.”

”Yeah, I don’t… travel much either.” Sora lied. “But it’s nice knowing that the time that we are, we’re going with some well-known heroes.” It was good to know that the two brothers knew how to fight, just in case any danger were to come at some point.

”Well, what are we waiting for?” Starlow spoke. “Let’s go around and explore for a little bit.” She spoke. She went inside of Mario’s pocket and the two brothers walked off.

Sora and Kairi didn’t feel the need to question that. Sora was about to follow before Kairi quickly put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

”The princess over there… Peach. I’m starting to believe more that she’s a princess… like me.” Kairi mumbled.

”A princess of heart..?” He questioned, and Kairi gave him a small nod.

”I sense a lot of light within her… and she gives me a sweet feeling. The light that comes from her feels delicate and warm.” She looked up at him. “I feel like she’s someone we need to protect… Yen Sid says that there was strong darkness here, and something could happen to her at any moment.”

Sora nodded. “Yeah… you’re right. How about we protect her together? We can both find the source of the darkness and settle it down.”

She smiled. “Of course we’ll do it together, lazy bum. We’re both here together.” She nudged him a little playfully. Sora smirked a little and nudged her back. Kairi went back to speaking after a bit of nudging each other back and forth, looking over at Peach.

”I’ll go talk to her and get to know her better. Toadsworth over there seems to be pestering her about something… this could be my first act of helping her.” She half-joked. Sora gave her a small nod.

”I’ll go with the brothers and Starlow, then. I’ll try to get to learn more about them.” He stated. “Be safe, okay?”

”Hey, you don’t need to worry. I won't be going far.” She replied. “We’ll meet back with Broque, does that sound good?”

”Yeah. See you then.” He spoke, turning and walking off again to catch up with the brothers. Kairi turned and walked towards Peach and Toadsworth’s direction.

When she was by the two, she lightly tapped Peach on the shoulder. “Hi, your majesty.” She greeted her.. When Peach and Toadsworth heard her, they both looked at her direction.

Peach looked slightly relieved when Kairi talked to her. “Oh! Hello, dear. You must be Kairi.” She spoke, gently smiling.

”That’s me.” She responded, giving her a small bow. “I feel like I haven’t properly spoken about myself, yet.” She took note of the light that she felt from Peach. It was very delicate and warm, especially since Kairi was closer to her. But, it also felt fragile and… even a little sad.

”Oh, no need for formal greetings.” Peach responded, letting out a small laugh.

”But you ARE a princess, your majesty.” Toadsworth commented with a huff. “People should treat you with respect.”

Peach seemed to have blinked at his statement. Though, she hid it well with her gentle and delicate smile. “Oh, don’t worry, Toadsworth. It’s honestly no problem at all.”

Toadsworth wanted to retort, but Kairi spoke before he could. “So, you’re a princess of… what was it?” She asked.

”I lead the Mushroom Kingdom. Though, I wouldn’t say I do a very good job at it…” Peach mumbled the last part. Toadsworth scoffed at that.

”But, princess! You have led our kingdom into wealth and prosperity! The kingdom wouldn’t be the same without you!”

Peach turned her head to look at him for a second. “Hey, Toadsworth, dear… how about you go look around while I talk to this young lady? Maybe go look at the shops?”

”As much as I would, your majesty, but there is no way I am going to leave you alone with this… this STRANGER.”

Kairi frowned a little. “Oh, it’s no problem. I promise I won’t do anything.” She spoke, softly. “It wouldn’t be the right thing to do.”

He was about to argue back, but after a small look from Peach, he eventually sighed and walked off. Peach sighed a little from relief and turned her head to look back at Kairi. “Now… Where were we..? Oh, right! I am the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. We’re well known for our population of the toads-” she pointed over at a group of toads who seemed to be having a conversation. “- and our frequent… attacks.”

Kairi let out a small gasp. “Attacks? From who?” She asked, very curious but yet concerned.

”Well, there is another kingdom called the Koopa Kingdom.” She explained. “They would often come and… well, kidnap me, while also invading our town, called Toad Town. The streets would be very much alive and happy when there isn’t an invasion happy. But I heard the poor toads would be hiding in their houses while I am kidnapped. And I’m afraid we cannot do much about it until I get rescued. As for the attacks… Bowser, the ruler of the Koopa Kingdom, never seems to settle down and stop...”

Kairi didn’t look happy about that. Though, she continued questioning out of curiosity. “Who comes to save you?”

Peach’s eyes glanced over at Mario, Luigi, and Sora. But, it seems that it was specifically Mario she was looking out. “Mario is always there to come for me… and he would often bring Luigi along, too. He never fails to be there and save the day…” she seemed to have been lost in her own thoughts for a few seconds. It made Kairi smile and silently giggle a little.

Though, a lot of what Peach said was familiar to Kairi. She has also been kidnapped before, more than once. But, fortunately, Sora always came by to come save her. It honestly means a lot to her, but sometimes when she thinks back to those events, she can’t help but feel some pity towards Sora. It truly does mean a lot that he would go out of his way to save her. Yet, he’s always the type of person that would be there for everyone.

”Gosh… I’m sorry…” Kairi responded in a saddened tone. “I wish something could be done about it…”

Peach seemed to have gotten out of those thoughts and she looked back down at Kairi. “Oh, it’s no bother. Bowser will eventually give up. One day we will. But for now, we just have to find ways to defend ourselves in a more easier way.” She said.

”Oh, yeah, that would be good, also. I’m glad you have someone that is brave and thoughtful enough to come out and save you from that king.” Kairi was also glad that the adventure that she and her other friends had were over. At least, for now, that is.

”Of course. Mario is very brave and thoughtful.” She responded with a smile. “And Luigi, too.” She glanced over at the rest of the group and noticed that everyone was meeting up with Broque. “It appears we should head over there.” She spoke.

Kairi nodded, gently taking Peach’s hand and leading her over to the rest of the group. It honestly felt nice to Kairi… having someone to slightly relate to about kidnappings. It makes her feel less bad about herself.

When they arrived, Broque glanced at the group. “Your sightseeing, is it finished?” When most of the group nodded, Broque exclaimed again.

’Very well, zen! Attention!” Princess Peach and companions! Zere is an attraction space just up ahead, oui? And in it, we have prepared zee special event for vous. So I ask zat you try it, s’il vous plait! And enjoy!”

The passage up ahead, which had a pillow-shaped emblem on it, seemed to have opened and lead to a passage up ahead. Broque started walking to it, and the rest of the tour grouped followed.

╌────═❁═────╌

When everyone made it to the next room, there was a platform in front of them as their were entrances to four rooms, two on each side. However, the moment they all entered the room the lights went dim. Everyone began to look around.

"What, what?!" Toadsworth said surprised, looking around.

"What's going on?" Sora asked confused.

"Mmm-yes, welcome! To Pillo Island!"  
Everyone looked in front of the large, projection screen in front of them. In just a second, it began to light up and a person appeared on the screen.

╌────═❁═────╌

"I am the administrator of this Island, Dr. Snoozemore… Mm-yes, and I should like to tell you of the island's lore…"

The image on the screen changed into an old, brown, image of the entire island.

"A long time ago on this island...the Pi'illo folk lived in this place and called it the Pi'illo Kingdom. But then, over a short span...the Pi'illo Kingdom suddenly fell, and was no more…"  
The image changed into a close look of the castle as a huge question mark was in the middle of it.

"What happened to the Pi'illo Kingdom? Mm-yes, this question lingers. It is but one of the mysteries that we are actively trying to solve today…" The image suddenly became colorful and bright. A bright, carefree aura.

"Indeed, another of these mysteries sleeps deep within Pi'illo Castle. Some say a treasure hides there since the time of the Pi'illo Kingdom…" The image changed into the Pi'illo symbol and these sudden, old statues that everyone saw around the kingdom.

"The deeper passages have only recently been discovered. What treasure do you suppose sleeps in this cazzzzz…zzZZzz…"

╌────═❁═────╌

After the projection suddenly turned off, everyone now had surprised, yet intrigued looks on their faces. A hidden treasure deep within this castle… Sora and Kairi both looked at each other at this. What treasure was here? Could they find it?

But what mostly interested them was how the kingdom fell. How could a bright Kingdom like this fall into despair so easily? More importantly, how long has it been? And where was the person in charge of this Kingdom?

"A treasure...in this castle?" Mario said interested.

"What could it be?" Luigi asked him. Before Mario could answer, they all heard a voice full of excitement. She stood in front of the brothers, and looked at the screen.

"Oh my! Fascinating!" She walked up and stood on the platform, and faced everyone. "So there's a treasure sleeping somewhere in this castle!"

"It really does sound exciting." Kairi said, following Peach up the platform, and stood beside her. "Where do you think it could be?"

"I'm not sure. But what sort of treasure do you suppose would sleep here?" She asked.

"Maybe it's something really rare!" Sora said excitedly. The screen suddenly split open, revealing a track. Something didn't feel right with it. Toadsworth followed Peach and Kairi onto the platform, yet he looked directly at Peach.

"Your Majesty, please!" Toadsworth said worriedly. "Step down at once! I sense. Calamity!"

"Y-Yeah, Peach." Luigi spoke up. "I think you and Kairi should get down before-" Thrusters suddenly appeared at the sides of the platform as Mario's eyes widened.

"Peach!" Mario tried to get to them, but it was too late. She, Toadsworth, and Kairi all screamed as they all shot straight into the darkness of the tracks.

"Kairi!" Sora stood beside Mario as they both looked at the tunnel, but they couldn't see, nor hear them anymore.

"Oh no!" Starlow panicked. "It took off with them!" She looked at Broque as she glared at him. "You!" She floated right to his face. "Why is there a moving rocket platform there in the first place?"

"Did you plan that to happen?!" Mario also glared at him, taking a step forward towards him. Broque looked nervous as he panicked a little.

"A-Ah, Oui!" Broque stuttered at his words for a moment before trying to calm himself down a little. "I must tell you, back zere we found zis ancient hidden area. Zat platform was only installed for zee exploring."

"Why did it activate then?!" Mario tried to get over to him, but Luigi held him back. Mario looked back at him.

"Mario, calm down!" Luigi said to him. "It's not his fault. Maybe it activated when Peach and the others went on it."

"Zat is right!" Broque said. "In zee testing phase! or at least it was. Zee pressure of zee petit tootsies activated zee mechanism, honh? Oui! Technology! C'est magnifique!"

"It's not 'magnifique' since you didn't tell us that back there…" Mario muttered annoyed, crossing his arms. Sora heard that from them. Sora was a little scared that Kairi was gone, but at the same time he knows that she's strong and she can take care of herself, especially protect Peach from any danger.

Still...he wondered why Mario looked so stressed. Was he really that worried about Peach? Sora didn't like seeing Mario like this, but his eyes widened a little seeing Luigi rub his back, trying to comfort him. At least someone was there to calm him down before things went worse. Starlow floated up to where the platform was and looked at the tunnel.

"So, what's back there anyway?" She asked Broque. "Nothing dangerous, right?" She could hear the nervous laughter come from him, causing everyone to look at him. "RIGHT?"

"I have not gone back zere myself, non." He said. "Too damp for moi. But I hear...zere is something back zere, oui. Something protects zee treasure." She floated down to face him as the platform came back.

"Great… Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and...Kairi was it? They're in there with some ancient thing?!" She said. Sora put his hand on his hip, and put his finger under his chin in thought.

"And since the treasure could be back there…" Mario's eyes widened with what Sora was trying to say. Starlow faced the brothers.

"Mario! Luigi! You have to get after them, and quickly!" She exclaimed. Mario and Luigi both nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

"Get that platform working again!" Mario said.

"Euh… oui. Very well." Sora could tell that Broque didn't exactly like this idea, but they didn't have another choice. "When you are ready to depart, step onto zee platform."

"Okay." Mario said. He looked at Sora. "Sora, Luigi and I will go after them. You can stay here and-" "No." He interrupted them as the brothers were surprised. However, Sora only smiled at them.

"I can't let you two do all the dirty work." He said. "I'll go with you and help find them."

"A-Are you sure?" Luigi asked a little nervously. "We don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine!" Sora crossed his arms. "Besides, you don't leave family behind. I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing.

"..." The brothers both looked at each other for a moment. They could tell by the tone of his voice, they weren't really gonna convince him. Besides...Mario found this could be a chance to watch him, find out what exactly he could do, and know for sure if he and Kairi are really on their side.

"Alright. You can come." Mario said. "But just be careful."

"Shouldn't that be said to you, Mario?" Luigi smirked as Mario blushed a little in embarrassment. He let out a small "Hey!" in protest as he playfully shoved him as they both chuckled. Sora also chuckled a little at this behavior. The trio all stood in front of the platform.

"Alright. You ready Sora?" Luigi asked him.

"Yeah. Let's go." He, Mario, and Luigi all stood on the platform. The screen opened back up, the thrusters appeared on the side of the platform, and they all went into the tunnel. They were worried about what could happen, but at the same time they had to be ready to face what was going to happen. No matter what.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon finding Kairi and Peach deeper within the back room, and after battling and showing Mario and Luigi Sora' skills, Mario has high suspisions of Sora, not exactly trusting this person who randomly came along. Along with that, Kairi and Peach have been taken away once more, and without much of another option, Sora and Mario jump in after them.

The trio moved on the platform down a seemingly endless hallway. Nothing important or suspicious appeared while they were riding, so the three let the breeze blow against them.

The two brothers seemed more relaxed than Sora. He was lost in his own thoughts and was worrying about Kairi’s safety. His expression seemed to be a mixture of sadness, yet determination.

He lost Kairi… again… which made Sora feel really guilty about himself. Before they even came to the island, he had a feeling that something would happen to her. And even though Kairi had a determination to fight and help, she slipped away.

He remembers what he said while they went up to Yen Sid’s tower. Kairi was worried about the Organization or Xehanort coming back and causing trouble. Sora, filled with confidence, said…

’There’s nothing to be worried about, Kai. We’ll be here to protect you… especially me!’

Sora couldn’t help but let out a gentle sigh. He hated when Kairi slipped away like that. And she had so much confidence that she would be a big help, too…

Sora gently shook his head. No… he couldn’t let these thoughts get to him. It will just make him feel stressed, and that’s no good when an adventure like this is going on. He just had to keep moving, because if he didn’t, then what would happen next?

Without much notice, the platform has turned to a sudden halt, and the three flew off. They hit the dull, hard, brick wall ahead of them. Though Mario and Sora simply pushed themselves off, Luigi didn’t push himself off. It looked like it was a hard hit for him.

”Luigi!” Mario went over to him as Luigi eventually fell onto the ground.

”Urgh…” Luigi seemed hurt, but not too injured. After taking a moment to process what was happening, he eventually stood up, shaking his head to get rid of the dizzy feeling.

Sora frowned, feeling concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked, softly.

Luigi forgot there was another person here besides Sora, and jumped a little. He seemed to be clumsy and a bit cowardly, but he seemed nice when they first met. He must mean well, right?

”Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry, things like this happen a lot.” He replied, giving him a small thumbs-up.

Mario nodded and looked at the pathway that was next to them. “It looks like that’s the only way to go right now. I don’t see where else Peach could’ve gone. Oh, and Kairi, too.”

Sora nodded. “Yeah… let’s head through the hall, then.” He spoke, taking the lead. Mario and Luigi looked at each other before following him, though they were quickly stopped by a dark and wicked voice.

”Again they come… poor fools…”

The three looked over to where they heard the voice and saw one of the lanterns glow up. It was a dark purple ball of fire, which had a lighter shade of purple for evil-looking eyes.

The three stepped up to further examine and listen to what this strange creature had to say. They were curious how it got here, since none of them lit a candle when they got here…

”Look upon the ghosts that haunts this castle... “ The ghost continued.

”Uh… what- erm, who are you, exactly?” Sora asked with pure confusion. This whole world just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

”My name, whispered in horror, is Smoldergeist…” The creature introduced.

”Really? I never heard your name before…” Mario commented, shrugging a little.

Smoldergeist didn’t respond to that, instead continuing to talk about himself. “Long have I wondered these dark passages… and long have I guarded these hidden ways…”

”Can we enter this hallway, um… Smoldergeist?” Luigi questioned. There wasn’t really a yes or no answered to this, they had to walk through anyway if they wanted to save the girls.

”None may pass through to what lies within… You must suffer the fate of all intruders! Those who trespass meet… THIS!” Smoldergeist disappeared, and what replaced him was regular, red fire.

Nothing happened for a moment, and the three glanced around the room to see if they’re missing anything. But at the second, nothing appeared.

Luigi sighed and looked over at the other two, shrugging. “I don’t see anything… do you think he was just trying to scare us, or-?” While he said this, an enemy that appeared earlier arrived from what appeared to have been nowhere, and landed behind him.

Mario and Sora let out a yelp, which made Luigi very confused. He turned around and saw the enemy that appeared, and Luigi also let out a small exclaim.  
”I got it!” Mario announced as he jumped on the enemy a few times. Sora watched what he did and his eyes widened.

Mario landed back on his feet as he fixed his cap that was on his head. “That was… a surprise. But at least it wasn’t anything bigger, huh?” The enemy disappeared after it was defeated, almost like it wasn’t there in the first place.

”So, you guys just… jump on them?” Sora questioned. It almost seemed like a keyblade wasn’t even necessary. Just a few simple jumps and the enemy was gone.

”Mhm.” Luigi responded. “Though, sometimes we use hammers. And us two have our own abilities. I use thunder, and big bro uses fire.”

”Oh… that seems simple.” Sora nodded. That enemy didn’t seem that harder to fight than Heartless or Nobodies. It was still good to know that the brothers can defend themselves somehow.

”Yeah… so, what do you use to defend yourself with? If you have anything.” Mario asked. There was noticeable suspicion in his voice as he said that.

’Does he still not trust me…? What does he think I’m going to do?’ Sora thought to himself. Before he could actually reply to that question, the torch beside them, that used to have red fire, turned into the purple flame, and Smoldergeist appeared again.

”This is not over… No…” His voice seemed angered and distressed. “Your doom awaits deeper within!None may approach the revered one…” Once again, he eventually disappeared, and the purple color was replaced with red and orange.

The gate up ahead opened and a dark hallway appeared, leading to the unknown. At that moment, Starlow appeared out of Mario’s pocket.

”Peach, Toadsworth, and Kairi must have gone ahead…” She examined the hallway before turning back to the trio. “This place looks dodgy… I don’t like this one bit.”

”But it’s the only direction we can go towards now. We can’t turn back, they could be in trouble right now.” Mario explained.

Starlow slightly nodded. “Alright, then! Let’s head deeper.” She said before going back into the pocket.

The three looked at each other and nodded before going ahead and towards the dark hallway.

╌────═❁═────╌

Through the area were a bunch of different platforms which they had to jump over, which seemed simple. There were some enemies they had to sneak past, since they didn’t have the time to fight them right now. Something could be happening to the girls (and Toadsworth) right now. Some other enemies that they haven’t gotten to yet, the bros defeated easily, not giving Sora a chance to fight himself. He didn’t mind too much, but yet he would like an opportunity to strike at least one enemy during this adventure.

The further they walked down the hall, the more tasks Smoldergeist gave them. Though, the three handled them no problem, and they moved on to the next part. The final task involved a memory game, where the bros had to hit the blocks based on an order they had to remember.

Smoldergeist appeared, again, in one of the torches. “Ouch… Well, crud. OK, the next room… Yes, the next will bring true fear... “ He eventually disappeared, and the three sighed.

”He keeps saying that, but all we’re doing are these stupid trials. We’re getting nowhere.” Mario mumbled. Though, the three heard a recognizable scream coming from the next room.

”Peach?” He stood in front of the hallway, looking down and trying to hear what was going on.

”Someone! Help!” The voice of Peach screamed. She sounded like she was in distress.

”Is anyone out there? I could use some assistance!” Another voice was heard, and it sounded like it was the voice of Kairi’s.

”Kairi!” Sora exclaimed. He started running down the hall, wanting to see what was happening.

”W-Wait! Sora! You can’t just-!” Luigi tried calling to him about being careful, but he was already too far ahead.

”He’s… so reckless, honestly.” Mario ran after the running Sora, and Luigi followed also.

”Yeah, and you aren’t?” Luigi smirked, and Mario rolled his eyes.

When the three got down to the other room, they saw that Peach and Toadsworth were trapped by four floating, blue balls of heat. Kairi had her keyblade in her hand, carefully approaching the balls.

”Help me!” Peach exclaimed, her voice a horrified tone.

Starlow quickly came out of Mario’s pocket again. “Peach is in danger!” She exclaimed.

’Yeah, no kidding…’ Mario thought. The three rushed down to the situation.

”Princess Peach!” Starlow exclaimed as they all urgently went towards them.Though, when they were close by, the four balls noticed them and disappeared.

Though the group was confused, Peach and Toadsworth calmed down while them and Kairi looked over at the others.

”Mario! Luigi!” Peach exclaimed. “You guys came for us... Oh, I’m so relieved.” She gave them a gentle smile while Toadsworth let out a sigh of relief.

”Sora!” Kairi went over to Sora. “Are you alright?”

”Mhm! I’m fine. Are you good?” He asked, concerned.

”Yeah, I’m okay.” She nodded. She put her keyblade away and her shoulders relaxed a little.

Toadsworth looked at the group. “Master Mario! It was a close shave, to be sure!”

”We fled to this chamber to look for a possible exit, but they were surrounded by… whatever those enemies were.” Kairi explained. “I tried fighting them off, but everytime I would swing my keyblade, they would move out of the way. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to touch them.”

”Well… they seem to be gone for now.” Luigi spoke.

”Are you okay for sure?” Mario looked over at Peach in small worry, and she let out a small giggle.

”You don’t need to worry, dear. None of us were harmed.”

Starlow interrupted the moment. “I’m glad you’re okay. But danger aside..” The group looked at her has she glanced around. “This place is mysterious, huh?”

”True…” Sora commented. His eyes glanced over at a certain object. “And that thing over there…” he pointed towards it.

Across the stairs to the other end of the room was a giant statue that was surrounded by four torches.

”Such strange architecture…” Luigi examined it. “I wonder what it is?”

”Look! In front of the statue!” Starlow exclaimed. “Check it out!” Starlow went back into Mario’s pocket once again.

Mario, Luigi, and Sora approached the statue, going over to examine what it was. It appeared to be a purple tinted object.

”It looks like a rectangular rock-looking thing…” Sora commented, going closer to examine the object.

Mario picked up the object. “It feels soft, actually.”

Peach, Kairi, and Toadsworth approached the object also. Everyone gathered around the artifact. “Oh my… what could that possibly be?” She wondered out loud as she examined the pillow herself.

”Maybe it’s the treasure? It kinda looks like a pillow to me.” Kairi gently shrugged. “It probably isn’t comfortable to sleep on anymore, though. I mean, it was sitting here for centuries.”

”But… the treasure was here, under guard. It MUST be the treasure, right?” Peach spoke.

”Looks rather pedestrian for a treasure, I should think.” Toadsworth said.

”OK, well…” Luigi spoke as Mario picked up the pillow. “We found this thing that MIGHT be a treasure... “

”So let’s get it out of here!” Sora exclaimed.

Starlow nodded and looked at the three boys. “Mario! Luigi! Sora! Let’s find the exit!” She commanded, and the three boys nodded.

Kairi looked over at Sora. “I’m going to stay here and watch over the princess… this, uhm, toad here hasn’t done so much protecting.” She mumbled to him.

”Yeah… I mean, he’s a little old, right? I never assumed that he could fight.” Sora said, and they both let out small giggles. He looked back at the bros and followed them.

Though, it wasn’t long before the tour group felt vibration. Everyone looked around in confusion, wondering where the vibration was coming from. Though, a voice echoed through the room, and the voice didn’t belong to Smoldergeist.

”Who touches things without my leave?! Insolent little rats! Stop your meddling!”

The group looked over at the statue, and it’s head and arms were moving.

”None may lay a hand on the revered one! Here! Pay the price of your transgression!”

The floor rumbled a little as Mario, Luigi, and Sora looked around for a moment...before four Smoldergeists appeared around them, taking them by surprise.

Sora quickly took out his keyblade as this also surprised them. That weapon just came out of thin air. Mario looked suspicious at the weapon and the wielder.

"What's-" "I'll tell you later!" Sora stopped him from answering that question. "Right now, focus on these guys!"

Mario hesitated for a moment, but he nodded his head in acknowledgement. He knew Sora was right. With the situation they were in now, they didn't have time to ask questions. However, as the four Smoldergeists charged towards them, the trio all rolled out of the way.

"These things definitely look hot." Mario said. "If we had our hammers, it would make this a lot easier."

"Leave it to us!" Kairi quickly stood beside Sora and they both nodded their heads to each other. They raised their keyblades up in the air, and they both cast Waterga on them all, causing them to burn out, and fall to the ground. Luigi was shocked by this...but with Mario, it only raised more suspicion on him, and Kairi.

Regardless, Mario and Luigi quickly jumped on all of them, attacking them. But as they jumped off of them, two of them were back up as they were flaming again. One of them looked at Mario and it began to blast multiple fireballs at him. He quickly jumped over them and he yelled as he blasted a fireball of his own at it. It fell to the ground again as it looked weak again. Sora and Kairi managed to destroy two of them with enough Waterga spells, and a couple of hits. Mario and Luigi managed to finish the other two off with their fire and thunder abilities.

"Argh…" The statue moved as it spoke again. "I...failed. Why...did I...fail…?" The statue completely stopped moving.

Sora and Kairi put both of their keyblades away and the group met up with each other. They all looked at the Princess and Toadsworth.

"Are you okay, Peach?" Kairi asked her.

"Yes. I'm okay." She said. "Thank you for helping Mario and Luigi with those things."

"It's no problem." Sora said.

"What was that just now?" Luigi asked, looking around Sora. "What was that...thing you and Kairi used to weaken those things? Where did you put it?! How did you do that Water-thing?! How did you do it?!"

"Hehe…" Sora laughed nervously as he scratched his cheek with his finger. He didn't really expect Luigi to get excited with what he and Kairi did. Regardless, to try to drop some suspicion on them, he told them what they are. Sora took it back out as he held it in front of him.

"This thing is called a Keyblade." He explained. "It's a weapon that chooses its wielder based off the strength of his or her heart. We use these weapons to keep people safe from darkness, or anything else bad."

"Sora had his keyblade longer than I." Kairi added. "But we still try our best to make sure darkness doesn't hurt anyone."

"Darkness…" Mario crossed his arms as he slightly bowed his head down in thought. He remembered he, Luigi, and their other enemy, Bowser dealt with Dark Power before, the Dark Star. They defeated it a long time ago, so…

"What exactly do you mean by 'Darkness'? What is it?" Mario asked them. Sora and Kairi both looked at each other, debating whether they should really explain it or not. Well, they couldn't drop this topic now. They tried to explain it as best as they could without revealing anything specific, or anything could break the World Order.

"Darkness is everywhere." Kairi said. "It doesn't matter if you defeat one part of it. Darkness exists everywhere, no matter where you go. It even exists in everyone's hearts, even if people deny it, and don't even know it."

"...I see." Peach nodded her head in understanding. "So what you're saying is...there's no true way to get rid of it?"

"Only if everyone's hearts are full of light, then the darkness will go away." Sora said. "It's not easy to fill a person's heart with light. Not everyone wants the light. Their are people who try to take that light for themselves, they try to keep it away from others."

"This sounds very...intriguing." Toadsworth said. "Darkness that cannot be gone unless everyone chooses the light. That's impossible!"

"We know...which is why we'll keep fighting. Forever, if we have to." Sora said determinedly. They all looked to their right, and they saw the two sides of a path connect, leading to another room. They looked at each other, wondering if they should really go down that path or not.

"Do you really think it's safe here?" She asked concerned.

"After fighting those Smoldergeists, not at all." Mario said.

Master Mario! Master Luigi, Master Sora!" Toadsworth looked at the trio. "The princess is still concerned, so we shall remain here. Would you mind terribly to see if the coast is clear?"

"Sure. No problem." Mario said.

"I'll stay with the Princess and Toadsworth too." Kairi said. "I'll make sure those things don't come back."

"Alright. Let's go then." Mario, Luigi, and Sora all jogged on ahead, but the information that Sora and Kairi explained still lingered in the back of the older brother's mind.

╌────═❁═────╌

When the trio walked out of the entrance, they saw someone standing beside where they came from. He turned around, and his eyes widened seeing them there.

"Wait! They told me that the path from here was impassible! That no one could go in!" He exclaimed. He took a few steps towards them. "How in the…? How did you guys come OUT of the area back there?"

"Oh, it wasn't hard at all." Sora said to him. "Besides, we did find something back there." Mario took out the treasure, and showed it to him as Luigi smirked with confidence. The citizen had a shocked look on his face.

"Wow! Could that be…it?" He said in surprise. "The thing people whisper might be in the castle?" He hopped with excitedly. "The...TREASURE! Nobody ever even SNIFFED it! How'd you get it?! And where?!"

"It was just sitting in front of this statue back there." Mario pointed his thumb at the entrance they came through. "There was something guarding it, but we took care of it with no problem."

"Amazing! Just crazy!" He cheered for them. "Well look, hey, you ought to just scoot on to our collection room! That's the perfect place to display the treasure, know what I mean?"

"I...guess it wouldn't hurt. Right, Mario?" Luigi asked him.

"Not at all." He said.

"Awesome! Just keep going this way, and you'll find the collection room." The citizen told them.

"Got it. Thanks." Sora said as he, Mario, and Luigi began to walk down the stairs. While walking, Mario's been thinking. So far, he seemed to be strong. He never expected him to have a weapon. Not to mention one that he's never seen or heard before. And besides...he still didn't know where he and Kairi came from. Seeing that their weren't any enemies around, he tried to get some information out of him.

"So, Sora." Mario got his attention. "How long have you been fighting for?"

"How long? Um…" Sora thought about it for a moment. "It's...been a while. As for Kairi, she's been fighting for about a year."

"Were you and her taught by someone?" Luigi asked him curiously.

"Nope." Sora shook his head. "I taught myself. I've kinda been fighting since I was a kid."

"Really? That's kinda with Mario and I." Luigi said. "We've been fighting ever since we were babies."

"What?! That long?!" Sora said shocked.

"Yep." Mario nodded his head. "Back when we were all little, and Toadsworth was young, even when Bowser was a baby! Those were good times…"

"If you don't mind me asking, who exactly is Bowser?" Sora asked them curiously.

"He's a Koopa that rules over the other side where we come from." Luigi said. "There were times we teamed up with him, but most of the time, we're enemies to him."

"It's basically a routine for us." Mario said. "Bowser kidnaps Peach, we go off to save her, we defeat Bowser, bring the Princess back, celebrate, rinse and repeat."

"Huh...so he doesn't give up." Sora said.

"Far from it." Mario said. "But about this 'Darkness' you and Kairi said before...what is it?"

"O-Oh! Um…" Sora didn't know how to explain it. But before he could say something, Luigi stopped him.

"Hey! There it is!" The trio all found themselves at this small hallway as water was on their left as the three same statues were in the water, but they were smaller. They all looked at the entrance.

"Could this be the Collection Room?" Mario wondered.

"Only one way to find out." Sora was the first to walk through the entrance to the room. However, before Mario took a step he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and he saw Luigi, who had a little stern look on his face.

"Mario, I know why you asked him that stuff." He said. The older brother sighed in defeat. He knew Luigi could read him like a book. Even if he tried to keep his emotions hidden, Luigi would just see through him.

"I'm sorry, Luigi...but I just can't help it." He said. "I mean, don't you find what he and Kairi explained to be suspicious? I mean, this darkness, that Keyblade, even how they can fight? It's just...bothering me. They're bothering me."

"Mario…" Luigi put both of his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I understand that what they said is a bit sketchy, but you can't just ask him this stuff out of the blue. Besides, you saw how nervous he looked when you asked him about that Darkness. Maybe something happened to him with it."

"...I didn't think about that." He admitted before he looked up at his little brother. "But how can we be so sure we can trust them? How can we be so sure they won't turn against us?"

"That's just something they're gonna have to prove." He said. "They look like nice people, and they've helped us out so far, especially with the Smoldergeists. We may not know much about Sora, but just tackling him with questions like that'll just put him on edge."

"But…"

"Just give them a chance, Mario. Give Sora a chance. You'll warm up to him. I know it. I know he's a good person. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I know I'm right. We just need to give him time about what he wants to tell us. Just give him a chance...please."

"..." Mario consumed what Luigi just told him. Give Sora a chance? Maybe he isn't really what he thought he was, but he's still skeptical about him. Regardless, he does know his little brother means well. With a small sigh, he nodded his head.

"Fine. I'll try." He said. "But I'm still skeptical about him. I'm still gonna keep an eye on him and Kairi."

"As long as you're giving him a chance, that's fine." Luigi said with a small smile. Mario smiled back at him for a moment.

"We should probably meet up with him then." He said as Luigi let go of him.

"Sure. Let's go." The two brothers both walked ahead into the entrance of the room.

╌────═❁═────╌

When the brothers walked into the Collection Room, they both looked surprised by what was in here. It looked like their were multiple collectables were on these tables. Their were two, small waterfalls on the wall as the same statue was between them.

"Wow…" They both took a couple of steps forward as they looked around.

"Hey guys!" Sora jogged over to them. "What took you? Did something happen?"

"Sorry, Sora." Luigi apologized. "These two enemies came out of nowhere, but we took care of them."

"Oh...sorry I went on ahead." Sora apologized.

"It's no big deal." Mario shrugged his shoulders. The two brothers both looked around at the room. Mario walked over to one of the tables with some collectables on it as Luigi walked over to another. Starlow came out from Mario's pocket as she floated beside him.

"So many odd-looking artifacts in here…" She said. "What is this place?"

"Well, that guy did say to head to the Collection Room." Sora said. "This must be it."

"Zis is well done!" Sora, Mario, and Starlow turned around, and they saw Broque Monsieur standing behind them. Luigi was still looking at the mysterious artifacts. "You bring zee treasure from zee castle depths, Hong? Incroyable! As Sora has said, zis is zee Collection Room… Oui, where we keep zee items excavated from zee island!"

"Collection Room?" Starlow repeated. She took a quick look around the room. "This isn't just junk?"

"JUNK?! Pbthhh! Non, non, non!" Broque shook his head. "Au contraire, zee items in zis room are so very precious! Zey all date back to zee period of zee Pi'illo Kingdom. Oui, oui... VIPs only in here, honh? No rabble allowed, honh? And I say zis; Zee treasure you found… we will display it here as well, oui!"

"Huh? Mario, Luigi, and Sora found it, remember?" Starlow implied. "Can't they keep it?"

"I dunno, Starlow." Mario said, taking it out as he held it in his hands. "We don't know what it could even do. We don't know if it could be dangerous or not."

"Even though it does look like a pillow, you do have a point, Mario." Sora said. He looked up and he saw Luigi was standing near a bed that was in the middle of the room as he looked curious.

"Hey! Luigi! Stop fidgeting." Starlow said. However, the little brother took notice of the bed, and he looked at the others.

"Hey! What's this bed doing here?" He asked. Everyone walked over to where he was as they all looked at the bed as well.

"Is this bed special too?" Mario asked Broque.

"Oui, if you have fatigue, you can rest on zat bed.

"Really?" Luigi looked down at the bed one more time before going over to his brother. "Hey, Mario! Can I see that treasure for a second?"

"Uh...sure." Mario didn't know what Luigi was trying to do, but regardless he gave him the pillow-shaped treasure. He put it on the bed, laid his head down on it...and he was asleep in just five seconds.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Monsieur Luigi!" Broque was a little surprised by this. "Zis thing under your head...Zee pattern is quite ornate, oui? It may be of zee Pi'illo Kingdom. Could it be...zee pillow zat zee prince was using?!"

"The prince used just that one pillow?" Sora asked, not really expecting to believe it. Regardless, Broque had a shocked look on his face.

"Zat is crazy!" He exclaimed. "Zis man falls asleep in an instant using zee treasure as a pillow!"

"Maybe that's what the treasure can do." Sora guessed. "Maybe when someone puts their head on it just sleeps instantly." Broque didn't pay attention to him. He was still in shock from what was happening.

"Zis Luigi is extraordinary, honh? Zis is a man on consequence, oui!" He exclaimed.

"Hey! For the record, the treasure's soft, and shaped like a pillow, so maybe that's what it is. Just a pillow!" Mario gave Broque a small glare at him for saying that. He agreed with the extraordinary part, but his little brother's not a man of consequence. Broque let out a small sigh, taking a few steps back.

"Alors…" He shook his head in defeat. "PEOPLES! Please enjoy zis Collection Room." Starlow went back into Mario's pocket as Mario looked back down at his sleeping brother. Sora could see the frown he had on his face, but he couldn't tell whether he was annoyed or angry. Either way, even if Mario didn't trust him, he still had to do something for him. Sora stood by his side.

"You really care about him, don't you?" He spoke. Mario didn't look at him. He just stared down at his sleeping brother.

"...Yeah." He spoke. "He's my brother. Of course I care about him. I just...hate it when people think he's not strong, but he is. Even when we got separated we still found each other. If anything bad were to happen to him…"

"You'd feel hurt."

"Huh?" Mario looked up at him. Sora put his hand on his chest.

"I know what it's like to be separated from the people you care about, not know whether they're safe or not. Believe me...that's happened to me a lot. It's happened with my friends, the people I care about... I almost lost all of them at once."

"..." Mario's eyes widened at that statement. Sora almost lost his friends all at the same time? That was something he didn't expect to hear from him. He seemed like a carefree, and strong person. But this...he didn't expect that at all.

"Losing your family is one of the worst hurts to feel." Sora continued. "I got separated from my best friend for a year, I almost lost Kairi. I almost lost everyone I had, the people I could turn to...I almost lost my own family."

"Sora…" Now Mario was starting to feel guilty about how he bombarded him with those questions, especially about that darkness. He remembered what Luigi said, maybe he had a bad experience with it. It turns out, he could be right. Maybe that darkness did mess with him.

He was a little skeptical about who he was, but at this point, he was starting to feel sympathy for him. He realized that was one thing they had in common; They both had people they wanted to protect. They suddenly heard footsteps. When they looked at the entrance in front of the bed, they saw two Toads walk into the room as they looked around.

"So all these things are from the age of the Pi'illo Kingdom!" The first Toads said surprised.

"Oh my! Perhaps this is the Collection Room?" They both saw Peach, Toadsworth, and Kairi walk into the room as well.

"Wow! There are so many things in here!" Kairi said impressed.

"I agree. There do appear to be many interesting artifacts..." Peach said. Starlow came back out of Mario's pocket.

"Hey, wait! How did you guys get in here?" Starlow asked as Peach, Toadsworth, and Kairi walked over to Sora and Mario.

"We came downstairs from the first floor…" The second Toad stated. "That's 9how. Not really rocket science here."

"Oui! It was I sat guided zem. And..." Broque looked at the Peach. "Mademoiselle Princess! So glad you are well, chérie!"

"Hey!" Starlow got into his face, looking angry. "Where do you get off, acting so calm about it? You put Peach in grave danger!"

"Zut alors, angry star! Relaxez-vous! Relax!" He tried to calm her down as he tried to push her off. Mario and the others sweatdropped at her behavior.

"Starlow! It's okay!" Kairi tried to get her attention. "No one got hurt, so everything's fine!"

"It's not like he did it on purpose." Sora added. "It was just an accident."

"Besides, you found some nice treasure, oui?" Broque added, still trying to push her off.

"Mario!" Mario looked at Peach, who was now standing on the right where Luigi was sleeping. "I think something's wrong with Luigi…"

"What do you mean?" Mario asked, walking over back to his sleeping brother's side. However, all of a sudden, a big portal appeared right above him as everyone looked surprised.

"W-What the…?" Mario looked back down at Luigi before looking back up at the portal. Sora and Kairi also looked at each other for a moment as well, not knowing what to make of this.

"What would that be?" Peach wondered, taking a small step forward.

"I daresay, that's coming from Master Luigi's head." Toadsworth stated. "Good gracious, could it be a vision of his dreams?"

"No way…" Mario didn't know what to make of this. "How is he…?"

"Mmmm...zis is not so crazy, non." Broque put his hand under his chin in thought. "During zee Pi'illo Kingdom era…it is said zere were people who could enter zee dreams of others…"

"Does that mean, Luigi's one of those people?" Sora asked.

"More importantly, why does he have that power?" Starloe asked.

"HOW does he have that power?" Mario added.

"Perhaps it's not Luigi." Peach guessed. "What if it's the rock that's beneath his head? Do you think that thing is responsible for this phenomenon?"

"Sacre bleu! Zat might be…" Broque stated. "It may have zee power to reflect zee Dream world!"

"That reminds me...where is Dr.Snoozemore? The so-called proprietor of this island?" Starlow asked. "If anyone would know of this phenomenon, it'd be him, right?"

"Indeed! Highly irregular that we have yet to meet the man." Toadsworth implied. "We've been told he's handling some sort of foreign affairs… But I ask you, sir! When will the fellow return, hm?"

"Euh!" Broque took a step back as he suddenly looked nervous. Everyone looked at him for an answer. "Zat...well, zat is something I do not wish to address, non… We actually do not know when he is coming back, honh? Non! No idea…"

"My word…" Toadsworth muttered.

"Ah, but...zese professional trips, zey usually are lasting only a few days…" Broque added. "Oui, so perhaps he will return soon…" Suddenly, Peach took a couple of steps forward close to the portal.

"Ah, Princess!" Toadsworth took one small step towards her. "It may be dangerous to approach that!"

"But I feel like...someone calls to me…" She said.

"Peach?" Kairi slightly put her hand towards her for a moment. The Princess's body suddenly had small sparks of multicolored light around her.

"Princess! Stay back!" Starlow warned her.

"My...body...won't move…!" She tried to get out of it's grip, but she still couldn't move. However, just before anyone spoke she was suddenly lifted into the air as everyone panicked.

"Peach!" Kairi quickly grabbed her hand, trying to keep her from getting sucked into the portal, but the force was so strong it sucked her and the Princess into the portal as they screamed and disappeared into it.

"PRINCESS!" Toadsworth got close to the portal, but the two Toads held him back.

"Toadsworth you mustn't!" One of the Toads said. "Don't let it get you too!"

"Kairi!" Without any hesitation, Sora quickly jumped into the portal after them.

"Sora! No!" Mario tried to stop him, but it was already too late as he disappeared.

"Mario!" Starlow looked at him. He nodded his head, knowing exactly what to do.

"I'm on it!" Mario took a couple of steps back, and also jumped into the portal after the three of them, making sure they were safe as he wondered how Peach was the only one being sucked in, hoping at least she and Kairi would be safe.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio, along with the newly partnered Dreamy Luigi, continue through this new Dream World in search for the other girls.

As the two heroes appeared on the other side of the portal, they scanned around the area for any signs of Peach or Kairi.

Mario and Sora’s surroundings were strange, to say the least. Everything was very colorful and there were random, puffy clouds floating around. There was no ground, though instead, they were flying.

“Kairi?!” Sora called out, starting to float around and look for any signs of the princesses. Though, he came to a sudden halt when he heard a voice up ahead. The voice was familiar to then, and it made Mario perk up.

“HELP!” It was the sound of Peach’s voice, and she sounded very distressed. When the two looked over at where the voice had come from, they saw that Peach and Kairi were being carried around in dark, purple smoke.

They were dragged further away and towards a portal, which looked similar to the one where they first jumped into. The purple smoke seemed to have a mind of its own, as it seemed like it knew exactly where it was going.

“Sora?!” Kairi also called out. Her voice seemed distant, but like Peach’s, she sounded like she was distressed and troubled. “Please help!”

The two boys started to float over towards them, but as they have done so, the girls have disappeared.

Mario let out a small sigh. Strangely, he did not seem as worried as Sora. The hero in red did say that he saves Princess Peach pretty often. “Darn it…” he mumbled. He faced Sora with a grim expression. “Well, let’s get going. We don’t know where they have gone.”

Sora nodded in reply and the two started floating towards the direction as to where the next portal was. Though, not too long after they got going, an unfamiliar, strange voice was heard. It didn’t belong to anyone they know.

“This place… divides… the real… and the dream…”

Mario and Sora came to a sudden halt as a white, glowing ball appeared right in front of them. The ball led them to the portal that was right up ahead.

“What is THAT?” Sora questioned, pointing at the strange object in front of them. Mario couldn’t help but let out a small shrug. He seemed intrigued and curious, also.

The ball of light spoke again. It sounded like it belonged to a male’s. “You are now… entering… the dream world…” It spoke. It floated right outside of the portal, as if it was wanting the boys to follow it.

“Help… Help me…” Those were it’s final words before it vanished, leaving no trace.

”Well, we should probably follow it, then.” Sora spoke, going towards where the portal is.

”W-wait, wait…” Mario frowned. “Not to be rude, but… are you seriously going to trust a random ball of light that appeared?” He questioned. “It could be leading us to a trap, ya know.”

He shrugged. “Well, the only option we have right now is to follow it, right?” Based on what he knows from light and darkness, it’s probably safe to follow a ball of light. As for a ball of darkness, it most likely wouldn’t be a good idea. “And, plus, the only direction we can go towards is straight. Kairi- and Peach- could be in danger right this second!”

Mario wanted to retort on that. He knew he was right, but all of this still seemed… off to him. But, maybe this wasn’t as bad as he’s thinking. And besides, if they don’t leave now, Peach and Kairi could be straying further and further away from them, with each second that passes.

”Okay… you’re right.” He stated with a slight nod. He still remained a little suspicious of Sora, but then remembered what Luigi told him earlier. He tried to ignore those feelings. “We should get going, then.”

”Mhm.” Sora murmured as he turned back around, started to float forward. Mario repeated that and also flew forward also.

╌────═❁═────╌

When the two came out from the other side of the portal, they both landed on their feet and they once again looked around at their surroundings.

The new place they have arrived in gave the two an ancient feel. The floor that they were standing on was decorated in different shades of orange and yellow, and the walls besides them were made out of stone. Some torches and windows were also added to give off some light. The place wasn’t in the best condition, as there were cracks on some of the floors and walls.

The two didn’t have a quiet moment for long, and instead the silence interrupted them with the girls screaming again. Peach called out Mario’s name, and Kairi called out Sora’s.

”Come on! Their voices didn’t sound too far away!” Mario exclaimed as he ran ahead, and Sora ran right behind him. Though, it didn’t take more than five steps for the purple smoke to appear again, which still held Peach and Kairi captured in it.  
Mario and Sora took a few steps back out of surprise. The two tried to grab the ladies, though they weren’t successful. The purple smoke dragged the two away and into the distance.

”Come on, come on!” Sora exclaimed as he went to follow. He darted forward, determined to get the girls back, especially Kairi. Mario simply followed him, quickly. He was also determined, but yet again, he wasn’t as worried as Sora was.

The two kept running until they made another encounter with Peach, Kairi, and the mysterious purple smoke.

Peach called out once more. “Help me! Mario!” She exclaimed out of fear. This time, Kairi was trying to fight off the purple smoke, but to no avail. Even her keyblade couldn’t fight off the purple smoke, so she was just as helpless and Peach was.

Mario and Peach tried grabbing the girls a second time, but the purple smoke once again moved away in time, and off in the distance. It almost seemed like it was mocking them.

Mario grunted a little in annoyance. Sora just kept running, wanting to continue to follow the girls and the smoke. “Come on, come on!” He exclaimed.

Perhaps Sora was being a little over-worried? But, perhaps it’s not that big of a deal, either. Mario decided to just listen to what he said as he followed the keyblade wielder.

The two ran for a little while longer, jumping onto different platforms. Not much longer later, the two encountered an area filled with different doors and hallways.

Sora frowned. “Oh, what?! What door are we supposed to go through?!” He questioned, a little louder than he anticipated.

”Sora, you need to calm down…” Mario murmured in reply. “They’ll be fine, okay? You don’t have to worry.”

He let out a small, gentle sigh as he crossed his arms. “I know, I know... “ He mumbled. “I’m just… I guess I’m just worried.”

Mario nodded. “Yeah, I understand. But right now, we have to focus more on getting the girls back, alright?”

Sora nodded in reply. “Yeah, I gotcha.”

The words he spoke back at Yen Sid’s tower just replayed in his head once again. He promised to protect her, but he simply failed. He felt a mixture of guilt and anger within him, though he still managed to keep his feelings back. He couldn’t let them block his mind, he has a job he needed to do.

Mario approached the different doors that were there. “As for which door we need to go through…” he thought for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. We’ll just have to try different doors and see where they’ll lead us.”

Though Sora didn’t feel completely satisfied with the answer, he still nodded. “A-Alright, then.” He spoke. The two chose a random door and walked through it.

╌────═❁═────╌

It didn’t take a while for the two to find their way through all of the different doors. When they were finished, they walked out as they continued to walk forward and towards the girls.

”Finally…” Mario couldn’t help but murmur to himself.

”Woah, it was about time you two made it through!” The voice of Luigi couldn’t help but joke.

Mario and Sora couldn’t help but realize there was something off about Luigi, though at first, they didn’t acknowledge it. Though, after a few seconds, Sora’s eyes widened as he turned back around to look at Luigi.

”Woah! Wait!” He exclaimed in shock. “Luigi?! What are you doing here?!”

Mario frowned a little as he looked back at the two. “What do you mean-?” He paused when he got a realization. “Oh-! Wait, Weegee?! I thought you were back in the real world!”

’Luigi’ couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Hehe… yeah, I know.” He spoke. “Sorry that I surprised you all. It took me a while to find you two.” He spoke.

”How did you get here? Did you jump in the portal just like us?” Mario questioned.

”Well, if I have, then the portal to the real world would close.” ‘Luigi’ commented. “I’m actually… not the real Luigi. Well, I am, but… I'm Luigi as the other Luigi sees me from the dream world.”

”Oh, I get it… so you’re here, but this isn’t your real body?” Sora questioned himself out loud.

’Luigi’ nodded. “Oh, yeah. I, uhm… gave myself my own name, too. Just so things don't get confusing!” He spoke. He smiled a little before speaking once again. “Just call me Dreamy Luigi!”

”Dreamy Luigi, huh…?” Sora thought out loud. He then nodded. “Okay! That sounds good!”

”Yep! I’ll always be in the dream world to assist you two with finding Peach and Kairi. The real Luigi will help you in the real world.”

Mario started circling Luigi a little, examining him. He seemed a little off about this… other Luigi coming around.

”Uhm, Mario?” Dreamy Luigi questioned, looking at him. “What are you doing?”

After a few seconds of examining him. “Yeah, you seem almost exactly like the real Luigi.” He responded. “I was just making sure you’re not, like… some kind of robot sent by someone.”

”Mario, you’re thinking too much. I promise, I’m not working for anyone!” Dreamy Luigi spoke.

The two brothers looked at each other for a second, until they both gently smiled. They both went in for a hug, while Sora watched with a small smile in the distance. When the two hugged, all of Mario’s negative feelings he was having suddenly vanished when he went into Luigi’s embrace.

The bond the two brothers share… it looked very strong and practically unbreakable. It seemed as strong as Sora and Kairi’s really… seeing the hug commence, Sora couldn’t help but get a happy feeling in him. It seemed to have washed all of his worries away for a moment.

Though, the negative feelings he was having weren't gone forever. In fact, he felt something even worse… he could feel a strong sense of darkness in him. He couldn’t help but feel more worried for Kairi. And Peach.

Sora decided to speak up. “Uhm, I’m sorry to break the moment like this, but… don’t you think we should continue looking for the other two? I’m not getting a good feeling about standing here for a little while longer.”

The other two looked at him and they both nodded. Luigi spoke up to Sora’s statement. “Yeah… you’re probably right. They could be in trouble right now.”

Mario gently nodded as he broke away the hug they had. “Well, then, let’s head out. Hopefully they haven’t gone that far.” He spoke.

The three eventually continued forward, looking for the ladies that have gone ahead.

Though, it only took one more door for them to find their way out of the door maze. After walking for another moment, Peach and Kairi were found once again, looking as hopeless as they were before. It appeared that Kairi has given up on fighting back with her keyblade, since she was not equipping it anymore.

Though, this time, something unexpected occurred. The purple smoke, which was already peculiar enough, grew eyes of its own. They appeared to look like a bat’s, with its eyes having a shade of yellow. The expression its eyes showed was evil.

”Uhm… Is it just me, or did the weird smoke thing just get eyes…?” Sora questioned, taking a few steps forward.

Once he did, Peach let out another exclaim. “Help me!” She reached her arm out for one of them to grab, but before any of the three could react, the smoke quickly backed away and flew off once again.

”Soooo… That’s the thing that kidnapped Peach? That’s… kind of weird.” Dreamy Luigi commented as the three started to chase after them once again.

”Yep… Though the only thing happening so far is just us chasing him. We’re not getting anywhere.” Mario stated, letting out a small sigh. He seemed slightly frustrated with this little ‘game’ that was happening.

Before Dreamy Luigi could make another comment, a red block was shown in front of them. It was an exclamation point on it. The two brothers didn’t seem amused, though Sora was quite confused as to what it was.

He approached it and stood under it, looking right up at him. “What in the world is this?” He questioned, mainly to himself.

Mario blinked at his comment. “You… don’t know what that is?”

Sora shook his head. “Nope! Never saw this before in my life.”

He seemed a little caught off guard, but nevertheless, he shook his head and explained. “That’s a block. You hit it, and it can do different things. Sometimes items pop out of it, and sometimes it can open up a pathway.”

”Oh! That’s kinda cool. So, do I just do this?” He punched the block from below, and after a few seconds, a noise was heard from behind him, which made him take a few steps back and to turn around.

An area has opened up. It seemed almost empty, and the only thing that was in the small area was a purple enemy. It seemed similar to the one back in the real world.

The enemy quickly woke up from it’s nap and quickly charged at the three, anger in its eyes. The three let out a yelp in surprise, though Sora’s instinct immediately kicked in, and he summoned his keyblade and striked it. With a few hits, the enemy was defeated.

”Woo! That was unexpected.” He commented, letting out a nervous laugh. He looked around the area one more time before he put away his weapon.

The brothers behind him were slightly startled by the keyblade summon, since they weren’t entirely used to this ability. Though, they seemed to have calmed a little once the weapon was put away.

”... Alright, then. Looks like that’s taken care of.” Mario commented. Though, Dreamy didn’t seem as happy as the other two were. There was a new ability he would like to show the two, and he thinks that the two would find it at least a little interesting.

”Well, we should probably keep going. The more we stall, the more time we waste, right?” Dreamy spoke up, looking over at the two. Mario and Sora nodded in agreement as the trio ran forward to catch up with the others.

╌────═❁═────╌

It took a few moments for the three to reach a new area. It was similar to the previous one, although it had a slightly more negative and darker tone to it, which made the three slightly less comfortable.

Up ahead, once again, was the two other girls and the peculiar, black smoke. The girls looked up and over at them, though before they could say anything, they floated up and out of the boys’ view.

”What?! Where did they go?” Sora exclaimed, the three walking forward. Though, it only took a few steps for the purple smoke to float right in front of them, which made Sora jump in surprise. “What in the-?!”

At this point, every encounter with the purple smoke holding the girls hostage like this… he couldn’t help ful feel even more frustrated. He was barely managing to hold his anger back in like this. And besides, Luigi has told him before that letting out your anger can be dangerous and could lead to reckless behaviour.

The purple smoke moved to the side, and some of the particles game out of the strange creature. The smoke turned into something that shocked the trio, along with the girls.

The purple smoke has turned into two different figures. The first one was Mario, and the second one was Sora. The trio took a few seconds back to be able to process this information.  
”Uhm, guys... ? What is THAT?!” Sora questioned, taking out his keyblade. “It looks exactly like me! What is going on?”

”You got me there!” Dreamy responded. “Right now, that shouldn’t matter. This is the perfect time to show a new ability.”

”Perfect time? We’re in the middle of a-”

Dreamy ran over to Mario and jumped. His body disappeared and went inside of Mario’s, and now he had a green glow surrounding him.

”What in the world-?!” Mario took a few steps back out of shock.

Don’t worry about it right now. You need to focus on fighting yourselves- erm… Whatever the two in front of you are. You’ll see during the battle.

Mario hesitated, though nodded. “Okay… Sora, we need to fight those phonies.” He spoke, taking out his hammer and preparing to fight. Sora nodded and turned towards the enemies, getting into a fighting stance.

The two clones seemed to have smirked. ‘Mario’ jumped as ‘Sora’ raised his keyblade into the air. As they have done so, more versions of themselves have appeared.

Sora yelled as he swung his keyblade at the clones of himself. There were a bunch that fought back, using their own keyblades to block his attacks. Some were also swinging them at him, but Sora would be able to use his keyblade as defense as well. However, he didn't expect the clones of Mario to attack him as well. Some had hammers, some would run at him.

Mario swung his hammers at the clones of him, and some clones of Sora would attack him as well. However, every time they swung their weapons at the clones, they would somehow manage to counterattack them. The clones of Mario would throw themselves from behind, and the clones of Sora would warp behind him, and attack him with their keyblades. It threw them off, yet they still had to focus. Mario swung his hammer at one, and when he did it stumbled as the other clones of him seemed to have disappeared for a moment.

"That's the real one!"

Mario jumped at his little brother's voice he heard in his head, letting his guard down. He almost forgot that he was with him. That gave the clone of him a chance to make more copies of itself. Despite that, Mario put his hand on his head.

"S-Sorry, Mario! I didn't mean to scare you!"  
He quickly apologized.  
"But the clone you just attacked, that's the real one! Hitting the other clones won't do anything to him! Find the real one! If you defeat him the others will disappear!"

"Got it! Sora!" Mario looked at the keyblade wielder, who blocked an attack from the clone of himself and pushed it back. Sora glanced at Mario, hearing him. "Find the real clone! That's the only way to get rid of them!"

"Okay!" Sora nodded his head in acknowledgement, and he tried keeping his eyes on finding the real clone. With Mario, the purple smoke suddenly appeared in front of him. Mario looked up at it and the eyes glowed a scarlet red. He tightened his grip on his hammer as he had anger in his eyes. The smoke began to float away, and Mario chased after it.

However, he didn't expect his clones to be surrounded in a rainbow aura. An aura of invincibility. They were running towards him, and he managed to jump over them. He got closer and closer to the smoke.

"Give them back!" Mario swung his hammer at the smoke, but it vanished as it was floating above him. He tried to jump again, but he was suddenly knocked over and he grunted as he hit the floor, his hammer was knocked out of his hand. With the invincibility gone, the clone materialized a hammer of its own. It held its hammer up, Mario formed his arms into an 'X', blocking the hit, but Sora yelled as he sliced through the clone and it disappeared.

Mario looked behind Sora, and saw one of his clones was running towards him.

"Sora! Duck!" Sora ducked his head as Mario quickly grabbed his hammer and threw it at the clone behind him. It collided with it, and it completely disappeared. No more clones showed up. Sora saw Mario's hammer, and he picked it up for him as he put his keyblade away. He walked over to him.

"Are you okay, Mario?" He asked him.

"Yeah. I'm alright." He assured him. Sora gestured his hand out to him, wanting to help him back on his feet. Mario looked up at him. He turned his gaze to his hand. He hesitated for a moment, but he accepted his hand as he was lifted onto his feet. Sora gave his hammer back to him as Dreamy Luigi reappeared. The green aura faded from Mario's body.

"Guys! Look!" Dreamy Luigi pointed to the smoke as it was only a couple of feet away from them. They ran towards it. They all got into a defensive stance, keeping their guard up if it could attack again. All of a sudden, it began to spin in circles, the ground shook, and then a large hole cracked into the ground. Kairi tried her best to fight back, yet nothing would work. Peach screamed Mario's name as Kairi screamed Sora's name.

"Kairi!" Sora took his keyblade back out, and he blasted a Firaga spell at it, but the smoke only absorbed it, and it sent it back towards him. He blocked the attack with his keyblade, but before he could take a step towards it, it drove into the ground. Mario reached out towards Peach as she reached out for him. The ground began to pile back up. Dreamy Luigi quickly took Mario's arm, and pulled him back so he wouldn't get hurt.

The ground was covered as if nothing had ever happened.

"No…" Mario and Luigi stood up as Sora looked at the ground here the hole was. Sora clenched his hand into a fist as he tightened his grip around his keyblade in anger...before he hung his head low in defeat. He put his keyblade away.

They were gone. He couldn't do anything.

Mario and Dreamy Luigi both looked at the ground, wondering what they could do. However, a small light appeared in front of them, taking Sora's attention as well.

Keep going… You're so close…"  
A gentle voice spoke from the light.  
"The nightmare chunk… Break it…"

The light floated forward down the path away from their sight. Sora looked back down at the ground as he had worry on his face. Dreamy Luigi walked over to him, and he put his hand on his back.

"We'll get them back, Sora." He tried to assure him. "We'll find a way to get to them."

"...Yeah." Sora nodded his head. "You're right. Let's go follow that light, and see what it is." Dreamy Luigi nodded his head as he and Sora ran off Mario took one last look at the ground where the smoke took Peach and Kairi for a moment until he followed Sora and Dreamy Luigi.

╌────═❁═────╌

The trio made it down the next area. When they made it they were surprised seeing what looked like a boulder floating in front of them. It was purple as it was surrounded in a dark aura. The light was under it for a moment before it floated into it, disappearing. The trio jogged over to it.

"Is this the 'nightmare chunk' that voice was talking about?" Sora wondered, looking around it. Dreamy Luigi was on the other side of it as Mario was beside Sora.

"I think so. It looks like it could be." Dreamy Luigi said. "But why would it be here? And who was it that spoke to us?"

"Only one way to find out." Mario said, walking under the chunk. He clenched his hands into fists, and he jumped under it, punching it. It took a couple of jumps to fully destroy it, and the same light appeared above them. Mario took a couple steps back away from it. The light floated up into the air for a moment until it formed into...a Pil'lo?

The Pil'lo fell to the ground, unmoving. Mario, Dreamy Luigi, and Sora all looked at each other, unsure what to do. The little Pil'lo stood up, and it hovered above the ground. It closed its eyes as it smiled.

"Ahhhhhhh… I am one with freedom." He spoke in a elegant, yet calm voice. A male voice. He took a couple of seconds to relax until he looked at Mario, Dreamy Luigi, and Sora.

"Are you the kind souls who set me free?"

"Uh...yeah." Dreamy Luigi said, not sure what to think of the Pil'lo in front of them. The Pil'lo smiled at them.

"I am forever in your debt." He said, nodding his small head. "Thank you for freeing me."

"No problem. But, who are you?" Mario asked. The Pil'lo frowned at that question.

"I see. You don't know who I am…" He muttered...before he yelled. "INSOLENCE!"

The trio jumped at the sudden yell, and raise of the Pil'lo's voice. While his voice sounded calm, it wasn't pleasant to hear a yell from.

"W-We're sorry!" Dreamy Luigi exclaimed. "W-We just...don't know!"

"Ahem…" The Pil'lo took a moment to calm himself. "My apologies. I am Prince Dreambert of the Pil'lo Kingdom." This surprised the three.

"You're a prince?!" Sora repeated surprised. The Pil'lo, Prince Dreambert, nodded his head. He was about to ask him another question until Mario already spoke.

"Dreambert, the reason we came here was because a princess, and Sora's friend here got abducted by this...dark smoke. Do you know anything about it?"

"A princess and a friend were abducted? They're here in the dream world?" Dreambert repeated. Everyone nodded their heads.

"Hmmm…" He closed his eyes in thought. "It seems some evil befell the real world in my absence…" He looked at the trio. "We must return to that world at once. Naught remains to do here." Dreamy Luigi looked at Sora and Mario.

"I can't come with you." He said. "But maybe we'll see each other again."

"Right. Thanks, Luigi." Mario smiled at his little brother, and he smiled back at him.

"Okay. Are we ready?" Dreambert floated above the duo, and everything around them went white. Peach and Kairi were kidnapped, but Sora and Mario were determined to save them. Hopefully they won't be too late by the time they reach them.

**Author's Note:**

> The first few chapters were written in mid-2020, so of course there may be a huge comparison between this and now. Which is okay, because this shows that we have ✨improved✨ (but Sky has already been a good writer lol)
> 
> If you couldn't tell, this'll be a crossover between Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario, so let's see what madness may happen in this little series of ours heh
> 
> Also! This was written before the DLC of KH3 came out, so there may be things in there that may not make complete sense and fit to what we currently know about, so try to bare with us lol.


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